The culture wars are a unique issue of our times. With online media and communication being so prevalent, ideas can be spread in moments, either to the benefit of society or to the detriment.
The downfall of our human race will not be climate, natural disaster or pandemic. It’ll be large scale societal collapse. We will no longer be able to reconcile truth, opinion and fact. We will descend through political strife, protest, violence and unrest into a fractured society, and no longer will we work together on human advancement. The rich and powerful will close ranks using their wealth for their own protection and in the rubble a dystopia will be all that is left.
Or maybe not? But we have many issues to solve, and I don’t have the solutions.
Key issues
- verification of fact
How do we know what is true? Scientific study should prevail, but what happens if the scientific organisations are corrupted, or if people simply choose to belief those with the louder voices rather then those who have spent hours studying the evidence.
- conspiracy
More people then ever believe in conspiracy theories. It is easy to do so – and some theories can be true. Certain theories can cause public harm, or damage trust in organisations that can seek to protect us, especially when they are pedalled through emotion rather then fact.
- personal opinion
Some issues are not true or false, and people should be allowed to have their own opinion. The issue appears when these opinions seek to create harm to another group, or when the opinion is spread with the aim of not enlightenment, but to brainwash and control.
- a lack of communication
When opposing groups can no longer gather to talk through their issues, then the divide will continue to widen and polarisation will increase.
- lack of critical thought
If people lack critical thought then they may believe what they are told without any doubt. The danger here is that with social media many people can get influenced to believe a lie, based on flimsy mix of truth and falsities. Sometimes this can be without consequence, but what if this provokes people to do bad things.
- idolization
People are driven to believe their ‘idols’, and lend them an easy ear. If they are not careful people end up following those with loud or persuasive messaging, without questioning what they hear
- populism
Action based on pure emotion is dangerous.
This post may be updated and improved, but it is a starting point. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.