Understanding a Divided America

Of course America is divided.  It’s undeniable that far right and far left media dramatically magnifies division.  It’s really nothing new as we sure saw division in the 60’s,  though thankfully free from electric and social media saturation.     Fast forwarding to 2024,  the division is historic and the center point of America’s ills.

As a media programmer, creator or contributor,  here’s a secret weapon:  Understand,   with extreme empathy, all sides.  Have a 360 degree understanding of American culture as a whole.  You can have your own opinions and voice them,  but your social radar needs to be non directional.   I’m not talking about going vanilla and avoiding the extremes.  I’m saying UNDERSTAND THEM.  What a powerful component in your toolbox,  rather than I’m right, screw you.   You can think that,  but when it comes to media observation ,  at least understand all positions

This doesn’t apply to Joe Citizen as they don’t have the same mission in life that media people have.  Media folks have a responsibility to their career and audience to “get” where all sides are comin’ from.   Even if you’re programming far left or far right,  you’ll do a better far left or far right by having non directional social radar.  Hell,  you may even convince people to switch sides....through having an understanding of how different opinions tick.

Interestingly,  I’m seeing that the biggest eye roll among both the old and new mainstream is the insensitive social extremes.  More people are concerned,  if not freaked out about division than those who are aggressively dividing it.  Silent majority?

Information is the new oxygen.  We need to breathe it to survive in the modern world.

And those who inform,  directly or indirectly  need that 360 degree Omni directional understanding to connect.  It once again gets back to the idea of “mass appeal intelligence”.

My point is that IMHO,  it’s a programmer/creator/contributors obligation to their career to develop understanding of all positions,  good bad and ugly,  to best position yourself in this new Wild West.   Have your opinions but arm yourself with the intelligence of seeing and understanding where the. “other” person is coming from.

Maybe that’s one small step to some form of unification.