Let’s face it; there are definitely different versions of news. And I am referring to the distilled 24/7 newsfeed; just our basic junk-food news. Are you Burger King or McDonald’s? Coke or Pepsi? Matt Drudge or Arianna Huffington? With maybe a little Jon Stewart on the side? It is all a matter of taste. It got me wondering: what attracts us to the messages we listen to? I am constantly amazed when seemingly like-minded people have completely different preferences when it comes to where they choose to get their “news.” I started to pay attention and looked for common traits of people who prefer one brand of news over another.
Honestly, I thought it would come down to faith vs. fear and I thought maybe I could make some generalizations there. Whomever was drawn to fear-based messaging is fearful of the world and vice versa. Also, if I am to tell the truth, I was really expecting to find all ‘fraidy cats on the conservative side of the aisle based on all of the dooms-day scenarios being sold on the right at the moment. But taking an honest look, I remembered that there was plenty of fear mongering going on from the left when they were not in power. So that narrowed it down to maybe the party that is not in charge is the one peddling fear. “We are losing our country!” kind of messaging. On the conservative side we hear a lot about the war on terror, the need to reduce the deficit, to close the borders, and a need to get back to basics with regard to family values. Liberals talk about the evils of corporations, global warming, discrimination and the need to reach out to our adversaries in the world. Conclusion: Fear is an equal opportunity offender. And both sides cloak their message in an American flag of freedom and patriotism. They love the same country, and both have a deep desire to “save” it from the other side.
I used to think it was the messaging that drew people in - people who are generally fearful would be drawn to one side or the other, but it became clear that both sides offer an apocalyptic version of what’s to come (end of morality vs. end of the planet - take your pick). Additionally, both sides make room for the fearless optimists. Plenty of hope for the future - if we just make the “right” choices. Plenty of intellect on both sides, and a an extreme lunatic fringe clamoring from their respective sidelines stirring up bees nests for the truly radical to get all worked up about.
So is it just marketing? Somehow we get sucked in to either “tastes great” or “less filling” and once we are on board we just find the messages that make us comfortable? I am beginning to think on many levels it really is that simple. And that is not to say that we cannot actually listen to what is going on out there and get information and even agree with ideas on the opposite side of the aisle. I am convinced we are not truly thinking unless we do. We most certainly can -if we are confident in our convictions and not afraid of the other messages. But it takes an open mind and an open heart and a good deal of digging through the garbage before we see or hear past the sales pitch. There is a reason New Coke failed.
Mark Twain summed it up cleverly when he said, “the nation is divided, half patriots, half traitors, and no man can tell which from which.”
Honestly, I thought it would come down to faith vs. fear and I thought maybe I could make some generalizations there. Whomever was drawn to fear-based messaging is fearful of the world and vice versa. Also, if I am to tell the truth, I was really expecting to find all ‘fraidy cats on the conservative side of the aisle based on all of the dooms-day scenarios being sold on the right at the moment. But taking an honest look, I remembered that there was plenty of fear mongering going on from the left when they were not in power. So that narrowed it down to maybe the party that is not in charge is the one peddling fear. “We are losing our country!” kind of messaging. On the conservative side we hear a lot about the war on terror, the need to reduce the deficit, to close the borders, and a need to get back to basics with regard to family values. Liberals talk about the evils of corporations, global warming, discrimination and the need to reach out to our adversaries in the world. Conclusion: Fear is an equal opportunity offender. And both sides cloak their message in an American flag of freedom and patriotism. They love the same country, and both have a deep desire to “save” it from the other side.
I used to think it was the messaging that drew people in - people who are generally fearful would be drawn to one side or the other, but it became clear that both sides offer an apocalyptic version of what’s to come (end of morality vs. end of the planet - take your pick). Additionally, both sides make room for the fearless optimists. Plenty of hope for the future - if we just make the “right” choices. Plenty of intellect on both sides, and a an extreme lunatic fringe clamoring from their respective sidelines stirring up bees nests for the truly radical to get all worked up about.
So is it just marketing? Somehow we get sucked in to either “tastes great” or “less filling” and once we are on board we just find the messages that make us comfortable? I am beginning to think on many levels it really is that simple. And that is not to say that we cannot actually listen to what is going on out there and get information and even agree with ideas on the opposite side of the aisle. I am convinced we are not truly thinking unless we do. We most certainly can -if we are confident in our convictions and not afraid of the other messages. But it takes an open mind and an open heart and a good deal of digging through the garbage before we see or hear past the sales pitch. There is a reason New Coke failed.
Mark Twain summed it up cleverly when he said, “the nation is divided, half patriots, half traitors, and no man can tell which from which.”
