Getting heated is bad for the heart, after all. But I’ve always had the belief that the worst thing you can be in this world is consciously uninformed, so I wanna stay in the loop.
Getting heated is bad for the heart, after all. But I’ve always had the belief that the worst thing you can be in this world is consciously uninformed, so I wanna stay in the loop.
Believe it or not, about 20 years ago or so people with opposite ideologies used to be able to converse with each other without it becoming a fight. Nowadays, the vast majority of people seem disinterested in listening to anything that contradicts their own opinion. Rather than researching their own ideologies, they will research points to tear down other’s ideologies instead.
My recommendations would be:
Don’t engage in comment sections. Reading through them may provide some context, but typically anything past top level comments or parent comments usually devolves into arguing.
Try to look for two media outlets with opposite ideologies and read both. Pay particular attention to the one you don’t agree with, but be careful to not try to look for ways to “disprove” it. Sometimes, one might point something out the other doesn’t. This can give you a clearer picture of what is going on.
Never trust a claim without a source. While many statements are made without a source are correct, its always a good idea to look up more information and do your own research to confirm the facts before you spread information that is potentially wrong.
Not all sources are trustworthy. Just because someone lists a source doesn’t mean its trustworthy. This has been an increasingly more common practice online. Checking sources can be time consuming, but it is worth doing.
Always check your sources for bias. Confirmation Bias, Recency Bias, Political Bias, etc. These are all highly infectious and are far more prolific than they used to be. Finding sources without any bias is not possible, but recognizing it can help temper your view on the source.
Be ready and fast to admit when you’re wrong or have changed your mind. There is nothing wrong with a person who changes their mind. What you believe today, you might think a bit differently tomorrow. There is no reason that you should feel obligated to cling to an ideology that you do not feel is right, even if you thought it was right yesterday.
Do not engage in debate. This one is hard for people today, since they feel the need to clip and retweet everything everyone says. It used to be that debates were for serious conversation, but as I mentioned initially, this is no longer the case. People who engage in debate usually don’t want to change their mind or even hear what the other side is saying. So simply don’t engage.
And lastly: