This week . . . it’s all about James Comey. Last week we noted that name calling was the bottom of the barrel of corrupting political discourse. This week, we’re barraged with “slimeball”… “liar”… ”corrupt”… ”disingenuous”… ”morally unfit”… ”egocentric”… and worse, not just from fringe pundits but from the mouths of our nation’s highest leaders. Imagine waking from a long Van-Winkle sleep into this America. One of the dangers in pointing out polarization is false equivalency — acting as though both sides of the argument are equally legitimate, when in fact one side is clearly stronger than the other. But the antidote to that is not to pile on with “your side” but to recognize that the degeneracy of rational discourse into name calling and finger pointing undermines not just one side but both sides of the argument. Or, as the old saying succinctly puts it, “You can’t win a pissing contest with a skunk.”
When reading these examples, check the above list and ask yourself: regardless of whether you agree or disagree, is this really advancing an intelligent resolution through the persuasive, rational arguments of advocacy…or simply fueling the fire of conflict through the divisive, emotional manipulations of polarization?
Here are just a few of the week’s polarizing headlines, from the left and right:
