Hypocritical Thinking in Political Analysis by the Common Person Or: How to Better Your Political Judgement
Today life is at least every bit as confused and confusing as it ever has been in any period. In fact, as most writers and commentators will tell it, life is more complex, more disturbing, more confusing, and even more dissatisfying than ever before. More, more, more; so much moreso that only superlatives seem to fit the bill towards proper description. However true this all may or may not be, one of the great banes of modern life is political rhetoric. Politicians will tell us it is black, when "it" is clearly a deep brown in the sunlight (only to be later told, by the same politicians or their fellow spin-doctors that it is the fault of the sun that we cannot see the "true" color of that which has been described.
Alas, with so much deception in daily political discourse, it is almost little wonder that people have become numbed to politics and the words that politicos presently almost shovel into our ears (while wearing rubber waders as they do it, no doubt!). Yet, if political discourse is to continue in any meaningful and healthy manner, people -that is, voters, categorically must pay attention to what is being said, and when ideas stretch the truth, especially when towards the breaking point.
Yet, it is not a one-sided event, this occassional truth telling mottled with lies and deception. Smoke and mirrors can be neutralized if a citizen brings along some rocks and a fan. That is, we as responsible citizens, aware that politicians and news agencies don't always give us the whole truth, whether for ill-gotten votes or mere ratings, must dissect the news and political messages carefully, seeking out the truth, and confronting deception.
Alas, there is another, greater filter that must be utilized, and this is the filter or litmus test about which this article has been written: the mind of the citizen who listens to the nightly news and political ideas. Unfortunately, far too many simply will not listen to the rhetoric of their political opposition while being greatly open to hearing the hot air erupting from the leaders of their own political side.
By doing this, there can be absolutely no real decision making process. Without hearing both (or better, multiple) sides to any argument, all of the facts are simply not being weighed, leaving the listener-citizen with only half of the truth. Often, this results in poor decision making and ill-informed voting. By such voting, no nation can achieve its potential heights, as, to use the old metaphor, it would be as building a house of cards in a hurricane.
Thus, all sides must be listened to, and their arguments and counter-arguments considered on equal merit, as though they were all sacrosanct. Only then can some ideas or data be discarded as false or simply worthless. In fact, the ultimate measure of a political beast if when s/he discredits his/her own political party for actions or words deemed beneath proper political etiquette -or even simple common sense.
It is by such honest assessment that many become confused or dishearted by the political world. However, stay strong! When we look for "black and white" philosophies, we are simply retarding basic thinking; this is both lazy and the acts of a coward. We must all embrace the "grey" aspects of politics. That is to say, seeking the common ground or common truth between any two political parties (when in a 2 party system, as in the United States), is the means by which a foundation for proper assessment of an issue may be fomented. It is more difficult, but it is also the infusion that all voters need to better the planet.
