So you want to get out of your bubble

Written on November 24th, 2016 in politics Comments Off

… try reading these conservative websites – Published on The Guardian, by Jason Wilson, Nov 22, 2016.

In his last broadcast of the year, John Oliver talked about how his own show offered comforting political catharsis to people who already agreed with him.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with shows that have a viewpoint; this show has a viewpoint,” he said. “But a healthy media diet has to be broader than that. And the way we see news now is micro-targeted.”

He’s not the only one who’s worried. Barack Obama told the New Yorker that new media’s capacity to spread misinformation makes it “very difficult to have a common conversation”.

Herein lies the problem: many of us now live in “filter bubbles” wherein social media algorithms tend to feed us only those perspectives that we already agree with. Let’s assume, then, that all of us, including progressives, do need to broaden our horizons, and seek out more views that differ from ours.

The first thing to say is that it’s still possible to be selective. No one really needs to listen to Alex Jones for four hours a day, and some conservative sites really are nests of unreconstructed conspiracy theory and bigotry. And it’s also permissible to approach rightwing sites critically, knowing there are certain arguments, and certain writers, that we will never agree with. In fact, it might be the chance to sharpen our own arguments as we encounter things we can’t stomach.

So what are the thoughtful sources where we can not only learn how the other half thinks, but maybe pick up something useful? … //

… If the Trump administration is as authoritarian as some predict, progressives are going to need all the help they can get. To work with others, we may first need to acknowledge them – and learning about other perspectives is not the same as acceding to them.

(full text, related links).

(my comment: yes, the ‘left’ is since decades more and more in a bubble, as we are tangled by the difference of what is – and what’s the target, with some smell of a sect – Heidi).

Links:

How come Clinton voters live in the cities where they are most likely to be annihilated by the war with Russia Clinton has been preparing? on Dances with Bears, by John Helmer, Nov 22, 2016: Almost 90% of voters in the centres of the largest American cities voted for Hillary Clinton – these are the cities along the eastern and western seabords. In aggregate they amounted to most of the 60.3 million in Clinton’s ballot total (47.7%). The 59.9 million (47.4%) voters who won the election for Donald Trump live everywhere else. The map of votes by county shows this is most of the country … (see map);

Primaire de la droite – face à “Ali” Juppé, la fachosphère vote Fillon, dans l’Obs, par Paul Laubacher, Nov 23, 2016;

Blind Leading The Blind, on The American Conservative, by Rod Dreher, Nov 22, 2016: … herein lies the problem: many of us now live in “filter bubbles” wherein social media algorithms tend to feed us only those perspectives that we already agree with. Let’s assume, then, that all of us, including progressives, do need to broaden our horizons, and seek out more views that differ from ours …;

Four nails in the coffin mean victory for Cypriot sovereignity – backed by Greek Principle and Russian arms, on Dances with Bears, by John Helmer, Nov 22, 2016;

Police State Tactics Against Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters, on Global Resarch.ca, by Stephen Lendman, Nov 22, 2016;

ASEAN-Pacific axis tabled as alternative to TPP, on The Jakarta Post, by Haeril Halim, Nov 21, 2016;

Communities, not countries, are best equipped to fix the world’s economic woes, on QUARTZ, by Peter Block, Nov 18, 2016;

A radical alternative - an interview with John McDonnell, on The Yorker.co.uk, by Jack Harvey, Nov 18, 2016;

UK: Trump, Brexit, The London Riots, And Alternative Economic Futures, on Huffington Post UK, by Huw Macartney, Nov 17, 2016;

Towards an alternative strategy for Greater Manchester, on New Start, by Mark Burton, Nov 9, 2016;

Feed a Cold, Don’t Starve It – sometimes sugar causes inflammation, sometimes it does the opposite, on The Atlantic, by James Hamblin, Sept 8, 2016; (see also: If Our Bodies Could Talk);

… und noch dies – zu Lybien:

… and this:

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