The signs are not good. Ninety percent of political conversation amounts to dueling "talking points." Best-selling books reinforce what folks thought when they bought them. Talk radio and opinion journals preach to the converted. Let's face it: the purpose of most political speech is not to persuade but to win, be it power, ratings, celebrity or even cash.
The phrase "talking points" makes my skin crawl. People don't talk to each other anymore, they read bullet points off of an imaginary PowerPoint presentation. They stack the deck full of there arguments, and unload them on their counterpart and then wait for a return volley.
We refuse to listen. You can't persuade anyone who's not listening.
1 comment:
AMEN! One of the main reasons that I hesitate to get more involved in politics is that there is no such beast as "civil discourse" anymore. People have isolated themselves into such polarized camps that they don't even hear what the other side is saying anymore--or don't believe that the other side has a right to be heard--or just don't care what the other side has to say, since the other side is obviously wrong. It's very discouraging!
--Kacia
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