Is Your Cultural and Political Bias Keeping You From Seeing The Truth?
Have you ever thought about why you believe the things you do? I think CNN and MSNBC are awful networks that purposely mislead people by twisting facts and often blatantly lying about what are actually pretty important issues. I believe this because I tune into those channels, in addition to, organizations on the right like Fox. More importantly, I also listen to alternative media sources such as Infowars and YouTube channels that are able to look at issues from both sides because they are not forced to take a particular position by the people who pay them.
With that being said, I can see how someone who only watches CNN or that only reads the Wall Street Journal might believe ridiculous and already debunked claims such as, “Russia hacked the election” and “PewDiePie is a Nazi”. Or that Trump is a Nazi. Or that any public figure in today’s society is a Nazi for that matter. Calling someone that disagrees with you a Nazi, or a racist, or a fascist not only takes away from the meaning of the word, but it also serves as a tool to divide us, but that is beside the point.
Fortunately, this is the first time in history that we have the ability to access unlimited amounts of information so that we can research things for ourselves. So why is it that people still believe that Russia had anything at all to do with the election (hacking emails and showing the public evidence of corruption within the DNC is not the same as changing election results), or that Sweden, Germany, and other European countries aren’t being torn apart by migrants that refuse to assimilate? I think the issue is that it’s no longer about being correct, it is now all about choosing a side and sticking to it at all costs.
I get it, it’s cool to hate Trump. Most of the media that we are exposed to are openly against him and make no effort to even appear unbiased. It doesn’t matter that many of his policies are good for us as a country and most people would probably agree with a lot of what he plans to do if they weren’t so against the idea of Trump being the president. I’m sure it feels good to be on the side of the celebrities, comedians, and the majority of public figures, but is your cultural and political bias based on facts or emotions?
Why do we care more about what the popular belief on a subject is than the truth? What good does it do to band together and hope for the failure of our president?
I think the fear of going against the grain and being publically humiliated is keeping people from being open-minded and impartial. The result is that, even in the presence of evidence that goes against a certain point, instead of thinking, “Hmm, maybe I’m wrong on this one,” people simply write it off and refuse to think about it. The mainstream leftist media has done a good job of making it seem like Fox, Infowars, Breitbart, etc. are not legitimate sources of information. However, not looking into an issue because you’ve been told that the source is not credible doesn’t help you get closer to the truth. On the contrary, if someone tells you not to listen to the other side of the issue, it is probably best to be skeptical and investigate for yourself.
To sum it all up, the mainstream media (on both sides) are clearly biased, but that is not a reason to stop paying attention. Instead, that is exactly why it is important to look at all sides before making a decision on an issue. If you take a side on an issue without fully investigating it, you are doing a disservice to yourself and to those around you. It might make you feel good to only see opinions that align with yours on TV and social media, but if you haven’t taken the other side seriously, do you really have a reason for believing the things that you do?
What are your thoughts on cultural and political bias? Debate is welcome.
-Stan Collins
