01-28-2017, 12:52 PM
(01-28-2017, 08:38 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: Since Thomas Nast took on Tammany Hall, there has been a place for demonizing political cartoons in our political system. To me, however, there is a line somewhere between propaganda and honest reporting. The recent proliferation of alternate news sources, including the internet, has allowed people to find news outlets that tell them what they want to hear. Too many people want to listen to people making a living by demonizing others. This has contributed to a nation disunited, where large parts of the population perceive the world distinctly differently, where many are incapable of understanding or listening to the sincere beliefs of the other half of the country...
There is always a disconnect between ideological cheerleading and what's actually happening. For some, the differential is small. For others, it's huge. If the predominant force in politics and culture is pushing us in a very bad direction, then the disconnect will be huge. Given adequate time, even strongly held opinions have to defer to facts on the ground. The only issue is when? If things drift (or run at full tilt) in the wrong direction, how much pain will be suffered to correct the mistakes, when it's finally obvious they exist?
That's where we are. Whether we are at the beginning of a disaster or just a petty annoyance is still TBD.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.