Things in the political and entertainment atmosphere of the United States have rarely been as bipolar as they seem to be nowadays. Depending on one’s chosen source of news, he/she will hear an endless diatribe against the opposite political ideologies. There exists no source of news or entertainment that does any work to try and bring understanding between ideologies. Why is this? As a citizen of the U.S. and as a human I find it disconcerting.
One of the most disconcerting parts of this strange division is that it does not come from the people, but rather it is fed to them. Even more disconcerting is the fact that all of these media companies are owned and controlled by just a few billionaires. If billionaires are human like the rest of us, then chances are that their own opinions are not near as bipolar as the opinions being presented through the news media they own. But at the same time they are having this type of media produced. If you don’t think that the owners of these companies have any say in what is being published a talked about, you might want to read that article a bit more closely.
This then begs the question, why create bipolar news sources? Something tells me it cannot be good for business. Having a news source that portrays all different opinions with both a grain of salt and serious consideration would seem to be a prime niche market at the moment. It would pull in all of the people who are incredibly tired of hearing the constant backbiting. I could be wrong. Maybe humans want to hear diatribes that could be putting down the neighbor who has helped them out, or the friend from high school who always keeps in touch with them, or the stranger on the street who smiles and waves. Chances are this is not the case, not when judging by the people I have met.
Unfortunately, the level of the contrary news being spread is starting to take effect. The rise of “white right” groups versus the rise of militant behavior amongst the group known as ANTIFA. As discussed in the most recent blog post The Futility of Violence, I point out how violent feelings are not a natural state, but rather come from a feeling of being trapped. What is causing this feeling of being trapped is the media that is being produced, and what is controlling the media being produced is a bunch of billionaires.
Do not mistake me as demonizing these humans, for they still are humans, we should just be questioning their antics. These are the same individuals who can easily control our government through direct bribes, seeing as it only takes a few hundred thousand dollars to change a member of congresses mind when it comes to legislation. This is barely a drop in the bucket for billionaires, who deal in millions of dollars’ worth of transactions on a regular basis. The crazy thing is, this detail was published in a newspaper owned by one of the colossal economic super powers.
We could ask, “what is the point?” But the more pressing question is, why do we fall for it? Every single individual has the ability to control how he or she acts. A personal reaction is not something that can be bought, the feelings of the heart are not purchasable, so why do we let ourselves act like they are by reacting in the ways the media is paid to react?
If we want change, we have to act as separate and unique individuals, we have to act according to love and acceptance of each other. This can be difficult, for we can never guarantee that the person across from us will be choosing to react with that same love and kindness, but chances are, if you come to another person with love, you will receive love in return. Just as hatred has a tendency to breed hate, Love has a tendency to breed Love. Everything that we see presented to us in the media that we consume, we need to ask one simple question of it: is this leaving space for love and consideration of the other viewpoint, or is this just demonizing it?
We have contrary-itis in this country, it is the worst disease we could possibly have. The world, despite many claims to the opposite, does not exist inside a realm of black and white. People change and react differently and in strange ways to different stimuli. We all do it. I suffer from severe bipolar, which can make me a distasteful person to be around when the depression hits. If I did not get to have people around me who understand how to Love much better than I do, I would be very alone and be seen as an ugly outcast.
One of the most incredible powers of the human soul is its intense ability to love unconditionally, and we need to start taking that love to the media we consume. If we do so, we can begin to check our own unloving language that can be adopted through the consumption of that media. Perhaps with enough people trying to Love at all moments (including interactions on the road and on social media), we can actually change this world for the better. Perhaps we can start to have our eyes opened to see what injustices are at the center of all others, and begin to demand meaningful change.
At the moment, as a people, we are letting the media and the money behind it blind our eyes. The good news is, the very thing that all of us want to feel and give the most—Love—is what can start to open our eyes to what is really going on around us, and can help us become the change we want to see in the world. It’s time to not be on the contrary side, but rather on the loving side.
