Eric Butterfield
Writer, Editor, Copywriter
Can Common Sense Make A Comeback? Not Without The Facts
By Eric Butterfield
April 29, 2022
The great American experiment is unraveling. To save it, we have to re-establish veneration for facts and common sense. We can no longer trust politicians to be level-headed defenders of democracy. Too many of them have put their political party first, to the detriment of our nation.
No wonder our trust in political institutions has waned. In the Internet Age, we have simultaneously become more skeptical—and gullible—than ever. We completely distrust some media outlets—but choose to willingly swallow the audacious lies and conspiracy peddling of our so-called trusted sources.
This can't go on. Our actions are informed by information. If we choose to believe ridiculous lies and conspiracies, we do stupid things, like storm into a pizza parlor with loaded rifles because we think there's a basement where Democrats are running a pedophilia ring. Or, in thinking the presidential election was illegitimate, we storm the nation's Capitol like a bunch of morons. No, these are not the worthy stewards of democracy and freedom.
Defending democracy requires facts and common sense. It requires the rule of law. Democracy is not just a reality TV show you tune into. It is the bedrock of Western Civilization that has shone a light on individual freedom like no other set of principles in the history of mankind.
But the Internet has done something that even the brain-dead trenches of reality TV could not: Completely upend civility and polite political discussion with an avalanche of misinformation, ill-tempered trolls, conspiracy theories, and bald-faced lies.
Today, the 24-hour news cycle bounces around the amateur commentariat on the Internet. In a bizarre echo chamber, TV news then reports on what's "trending" on social media. What's hot? Most often, just a three-word slogan, short-form insults on Twitter, or a fiery video rant fueled by fear, scapegoating, name-calling and deflections of all blame. Then, of course, there's all those ridiculous lies aimed at people who can no longer figure out what the truth is. Lie after lie after lie. The news has largely become another form of entertainment, bereft of its former higher calling. As a result, we're all in trouble.
No wonder polite debate has deteriorated. How do you remain calm and debate rationally with people who believe lies? The latest poll from YouGov estimates that 74 percent of Republicans still, to this day, believe Joe Biden is not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election.
Is this the new, immutable America? Will our political struggles forever be fought by stooges who are too ill-equipped to spot a lie? Is it really the best that we can do that two years after a major election, three-quarters of Republican voters still believe a ridiculous lie repeated ad nauseum by a real estate developer and former reality TV star who had never before held public office? Principled conservatives whose Republican identity is built around an intellectual tradition – not a populist, foul-mouthed, professional wrestling-style ethos – must be horrified. I've never known a Republican to proudly declare that he's a dupe for lies. But here we are.
This never-ending feedback loop ensnares us all, pushing all our buttons, causing a fight-or-flight response. Is this the new American character—mimicking the disingenuous performances of political weasels, but only condemning it when it's done by the other party? Are we all just "adulting" now, childishly denouncing the bad behavior of others while ignoring our own? It's a sad day in America. Either we're all accountable, or no one's accountable. If accountability is completely politically conditional, we are lost, and there can be no trust in a higher calling in public life.
Reviving common sense and civility won't be easy. But I do trust the American people can do it. We have to start at the beginning of education itself: The facts. Facts aren't options. You don't deny the facts you learn in school. You learn them. Facts aren't the brussels sprouts you push aside and leave on your plate because you don't like them. Yes, they're a little bitter, but they're nutritious. Freedom without facts isn't freedom. It's slavery to a fiction built on beatific lies. Media literacy should be taught in every school. What's a life worth if you don't even have the basic analytical ability to dispel a heinous lie?
We are a diverse nation. People see problems differently and will propose a variety of solutions. We all have to come together every election to decide. We are only as strong as our trust in the integrity of our elections. Elections need to be fair, and voting is a right that can not be tampered with. If the Republican party chooses to undermine election integrity with baseless attacks and lies, they are unfit to participate in a democracy.
If civility is lost, we're all lost. Society can't function without civility. Political disagreement is not to be feared. It's to be expected. Unfortunately, the mightiness of gentle persuasion has been lost in the new eye-grabbing world of social media and amplified lies. Online platforms have handed a megaphone to every ill-tempered basement dweller who wants to spread misinformation and half-baked truths.
Only the facts can set you free. But first, you have to find them.