We are in the middle of another cycle. They seem to be coming ever more frequently. The cycle starts with a universally acknowledged evil, like the mass-murders in El Paso and Dayton.
Phase two exploits the incident with pre-planned talking points designed to advance an agenda. In this case, the agenda is gun control.
In phase three politicians float measures designed to split the difference between opposing sides. Instead of asking principled questions of right and wrong, they calculate positions for political advantage.
Phase four is marked by the entrance of interest groups that are not as well-organized and heavily funded as the primary special interests. You might see psychologists drawing attention to mental illness and psychotropic drugs. Law-enforcement unions might advocate for armed guards. Pro-family groups point out the role of fatherlessness.
These interests all have valid statistics and reasoning behind their claims. Nevertheless, they are drowned out by the overarching narrative. Legitimate concerns are marginalized or shoe-horned into the dominating narratives.
The cycle concludes when the agenda is either adopted or defeated. Either way, both sides check the polls to assess the new normal and develop talking points to exploit in the next cycle.
No matter where you find yourself in the cycle, we are all too easily caught up in it. Focused on our own special interests, we fail to see the bigger picture. When this happens, we are no longer participants but pawns.
Sociologists and psychoanalysts, aided by data analysis, have learned how to use buzzwords and triangulation to play you like fiddles. Sophisticated behavioral science is used to manipulate your behavior. The dopamine that is released by getting a “like” on your post is a powerful—if cynical—drug to keep you coming back for more.
Sophisticated algorithms are not designed to inform and challenge your better angels. They are designed to stroke your ego with positive feedback. The goal is not to enhance dialogue, but to exert influence. Facebook, Google, Twitter and the media outlets that depend on them are not neutral platforms play you for profit.
Cynical and unscrupulous people objectify you as a means toward an end. They exploit your time, energy and relationships for their own gain, without regard to your well-being. This is dehumanizing. It should make all people recoil in disgust.
The cycle also derails thoughtful conversation and replaces it with simplistic shibboleths. Serious consideration of complex interrelationships is replaced by slogans akin to Orwell’s: “Four legs good. Two legs bad.”
Such false dichotomies contribute to the increasing polarization of our world. One by one, formerly independent thoughts are sucked into the vortex of the cycle du jour. As more and more independent issues are co-opted by the central narrative, the stakes are raised ever higher.
As a hurricane grows in intensity by enveloping ever more area, so also, a thousand policy positions are fused into a single, totalitarian storm. For instance, once we could have a meaningful conversation about the evils of fatherlessness. But now those genuinely tackling the problem of fatherlessness are dismissed as shills of the pro-gun lobby.
In the absence of meaningful dialogue, ad hominem attacks proliferate. Totalitarianism destroys personal relationships. It is designed to do so. This is the greatest evil of them all. I know that sounds conspiratorial, so let me explain.
I do not think that the combatants themselves set out to destroy relationships. I don’t even think it is the central goal of the people pulling the levers of big tech. The one whose goal is to stir up hate is none other than the devil himself.
When you recognize this fact, tactics change. Winning the argument must become less important than loving your neighbor. Avoiding personal attacks and dishonest argumentation is as important as the facts you present. Otherwise the devil wins.
Similarly, mindful of the awesome power of big tech to manipulate the collective mind, we should become ever more wary of being manipulated and ever more skeptical that our source has given us the full story.
The very heart of relationship is in giving and receiving. Open yourself in humility and thanksgiving to receive deeper understanding from your ideological opponent. This posture drives away pride and rebuilds our broken world, one person at a time. It breaks the cycle instead of feeding it.
Let me close on a personal note. Since I started writing publicly, many have assumed that I write to advance some agenda. I do not. I do not purport to represent the Wyoming Pastors Network, Lutherans or any other group. Only one thought drives my writing: I believe our public discourse needs more voices that care as much about positions as about their opponents. My only hope is to be such a voice.
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