On Talking Heads…
I’ve realized that I say, “what people tell me” a lot. I say this because that’s how I perceive other people’s words – they are talking at me. I receive their words, but I do not absorb them into myself. When I refer to “what people tell me”, it’s because I’m specifically speaking about an idea that other people commonly accept but which I may or may not agree with.
One thing I have noticed is that a lot of the things that people tell me are things that they’ve heard from others… not actual original thoughts. This is likely why most people have a hard time answering the questions I ask them about their purported viewpoints.
Honestly, it’s very easy to see when people are using second hand information as a basis for their everyday viewpoints. It’s usually accompanied by a smug sense of superiority and an eyeroll at anyone who dares note the inconsistency of the day’s political stance. There’s also a fair amount of condescending insinuation and an endless string of snarky and shallow commentary about people who disagree with the “acceptable” viewpoint.
So, I ask people where their information comes from. Invariably, they will recite a list of names of television personalities and questionable news sources that their particular faction deems to be important. Unsurprisingly, when I ask what kind of research they have done into the actual issue, the answer is always: “Why would I do research? I’m telling you that [source] says…”
Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t see a point in deciding one’s viewpoint based solely on the hearsay of other humans. Don’t get me wrong, I love to hear other people’s opinions about the world… I just don’t accept other people’s opinions as truth. I cannot accept an idea as feasible or true without first doing my own examination of facts and coming to my own understanding of the viewpoint.
For me, media pundits are a form of entertainment. I see that they are acting out a role and I see that they are interpreting the “news” in an entertaining way. What I don’t see is how other people take everything that Talking Heads say as gospel truth? I can see how a charismatic person’s opinions might make sense while listening, but what I can’t see is how it could be accepted as fact without any proof to back it up?
I suppose it is loyalty and trust that makes people believe all words coming from the television. Loyalty, to me, is something that must be earned. There are no people on the internet or television who have earned my loyalty. This is because internet and television people are not real people. As far as I can tell, there is usually some small grain of truth to most “news”, but it’s purposely full of drivel to arouse the emotions of those who partake of the information. How can people trust those who manipulate their emotions in such blatant ways?
I already know the “how”. We’re conditioned to accept certain types of people as “good” and other types as “bad”. These prejudices are not innate – they are hammered into our brains by the people around us – parents, relatives, friends, teachers, religious leaders, etc. We are told that certain belief sets are “right”, so then anything out of the approved belief set becomes “wrong”.
I think what troubles me the most is how lazy people are when it comes to challenging their own perceptions of truth. I get it, it really is much easier to throw out an insult than to actually listen to someone else’s perception of events. I really do understand – when another person challenges your identity within your preferred label, it’s scary.
I know for a fact that this is why people so often insult me – I challenge their viewpoints in ways that cause them to feel genuine fear. Anger is really just fear in a scary mohair jacket. And, I get it. This is probably why I continue to challenge people’s fears despite the fact that I know they will resent me for doing so.
But, I really don’t like to just sit by and let people spout unfounded and easily fact-checked falsity. I can’t stand it, as a matter of fact. To me, it’s an injustice to anyone listening and to the speaker when ridiculous versions of reality are presented as the only version of reality. This is completely unacceptable to me.
Back in the day, I used to just frown and keep my mouth shut and let people go on with their completely obtuse and hypocritical rants. Sadly for you, those days are no longer. You have been warned, friend – I will call you out and I will challenge your beliefs and I will laugh at your attempts at insult. I’ll still care about you just as much, though, and I’ll still listen to what you have to say. Just be prepared to work for your soapbox.