The View from a Social Scientist

Hey All,

I am a fairly new fan of Jonathan Haidt.  This article alarmed me more so than it encouraged me regarding the state of politics in the United States.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/jonathan-haidt-pandemic-and-americas-polarization/612025/


I see factions on Facebook and Disqus.  Social media is making us more tribal and emotional.  Less rational.  It creates experts out of high school dropouts.  Dunning Kruger run amok.

Our town page has members attacking each other over the virus.  Some taking this as a life threatening event while others treat it as some conspiracy theory.

President Dumb Ass is creating chaos with his tweets.  He's using the virus to scapegoat his political opposition.  He is using his office to turn the people against the media.

Questions:

Is this nation being set up for division?  Who benefits from that?  Will we turn on each other?

How bad can this get?

Or will we wake up as Americans?  Value our freedoms and not allow others to take power using such divisive and immoral tactics.

Can we learn to get along while at the same time disagreeing about issues.  Finding a way to compromise?  To listen to others and realize that the good of the nation also means the good of the people of that nation?  To admit that we were wrong?  Then apologize and learn from our mistakes?

Is Haidt too patient?  Are liberals too patient?  Can conservatives rid themselves of Trump and his divisive rhetoric?

As we see in other societies and learn from history those that seek to grab authoritarian power do not back down easily.  They will use every means at their disposal.

If the people don't stand up and fight it and instead are passive or take the high road are they just conceding to this evil.  That's really what it is.  It's evil.

Is Twitter making a stand about one of Trump's points a turning point?  Can the people of this nation back their freedom to not allow lies on their site.  To not allow a president to use their platform to cause division by lying with his tweets?

We can't stop the outlets they own from publishing propaganda.  We don't have to allow them free access to mass media to push more of it on the unsuspecting.

Trump's words today was scary.  It was an action of a dictator.  Demanding free speech while taking it away from others.  He has a right to the government not restricting his free speech.  He can not use his power and government power to restrict the free speech of others.  Twitter was within it's rights.  Trump was not.

Lot's of questions.  Answer one or none.  Give me your own thoughts and theories.

Thank you!

Ellabulldog