Too bad we don't talk any more. Oh we Twitter . . . and Facebook . . . text message . . .and any number of other character-limited, computer-space things, but we really don't talk any more. Or read. Our minds are turning into little mushy flashes of bites and bits with little substance.
I grew up in a home where we talked all the time. We debated politics, sometimes sports and sometimes business. People don’t seem to do that any more and it’s making us dumber. Yep, stupid. When was the last time you read a newspaper? A magazine? No, really actually truly read something. Thirty-second sound bites on network news shows don’t count. Neither does getting your news from cable tv commentators. They’re commentators, stupid. And some commentators are stupid, too. Sometimes commentators, and certainly politicians count on us being stupid.
In the old days before most of this, we learned that there were newspapers and we learned that the news was carefully separated from the editorials. And that the page opposite the editorial page was the op-ed page (wow, that seems simple). Those two pages (at least in theory) held the commentaries. Now, people scream and yell at Fox about Glen and Bill. Or complain about Rachel and Keith on MSNBC. Hey, folks, those aren’t newspeople, they’re commentators. And if they are the only source of your “news,” then you’re stupid. Likewise, if the New York Times or the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal are your only sources for news, then you need to expand your horizons. Hey, read them all. Different editorial leanings and different op-ed angles.
Now, we think we communicate, but it really has no depth or thought to it. Emails, tweets and Facebook comments. We’re really learning how not to communicate. Sit down and talk politics for a couple of hours? Are you kidding me? What if we don’t agree? Holy crap, that’s the point. You actually sit down and discuss the issues. Well, of course, since you don’t read anything, that makes it tough for you to do. You know, actually understand and be able to debate the issue from different sides. And that means defending your position. Darn, that means you need to understand your position. Not just have one. And it means you’ll better understand other sides of an issue when you disagree with someone. Unless you’re a politician, in which case you’ll probably continue think everyone but you is stupid, that it’s your job to nanny us, believe anyone with an opposing point of view needs a scolding and write a lot of words in legislation nobody will read or understand.
Try it sometime. It’ll be tough at first. After all, you’re not used to this type of thing. But spread your reading around. Pick up the phone and converse with friends about serious stuff, not just how your café on Facebook is going. Really . . . what do you think about immigration, the Tea Party, congress, taxes, pro football . . . I don’t care. Pick something. Learn it and walk around it with your buddies. That’ll make all of us smarter. Maybe even the stupid commentators and politicians.
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