U - Word Slinger Files
- Adam Ulbright -
adam ulbricht
Aug 9, 2015: Adam Ulbricht: SC Times: We need more debate, not intolerance in this country:
"......The truth is we need more honest debate in this country, not less of it. The actions against Palmer and the Indiana pizza place are examples of speech that is being silenced, and a growing level of intolerance.We were founded with the idea of being a marketplace of ideas. Even those that we disagree with can and should be debated. That’s the mark of a free society."
"......The truth is we need more honest debate in this country, not less of it. The actions against Palmer and the Indiana pizza place are examples of speech that is being silenced, and a growing level of intolerance.We were founded with the idea of being a marketplace of ideas. Even those that we disagree with can and should be debated. That’s the mark of a free society."
May 10, 2021: Adam Ulbricht: Times Writers Group: Ulbricht's last word: Stay open to the range of opinions around you:
Hyperpartisanship and a low tolerance for opposing views is the current prevailing practice. How many times over the past five or six years have you deleted someone on social media because they disagreed on issues? Or have you seen people sharing a post stating something along the lines of, “If you believe in X, delete me as a friend”?................Consolidating the voices within our lives only leads to a larger echo chamber of views that we agree with. This falsely inflates the sense that more people agree with you than not, which leads one to being more alienated the next time they do come across an alternative opinion. It is a spiral to the bottom.
The politics of today are more about trolling or “owning” the other side. People, especially online, are looking to stick it to another instead of holding an open and honest discussion. This is a primary reason of why I have personally stepped back from discussing most political issues on social media. ....................A final point that should be addressed is the breakdown of accurate information. We really are living in an era of “fake news.” There are studies that show false information travels faster than what is true. Because we all have our biases, we often gravitate towards information that appeals to what we want to be true. This further reiterates the earlier point of the dangers of pushing out opinions and views that do not agree with ours. If you fall victim to fake news, how can you tell if you have removed everyone in your life who are capable of pointing it out?
The nasty elements of today’s politics are nothing new. They have always been around. The difference is how much faster everything travels.
Hyperpartisanship and a low tolerance for opposing views is the current prevailing practice. How many times over the past five or six years have you deleted someone on social media because they disagreed on issues? Or have you seen people sharing a post stating something along the lines of, “If you believe in X, delete me as a friend”?................Consolidating the voices within our lives only leads to a larger echo chamber of views that we agree with. This falsely inflates the sense that more people agree with you than not, which leads one to being more alienated the next time they do come across an alternative opinion. It is a spiral to the bottom.
The politics of today are more about trolling or “owning” the other side. People, especially online, are looking to stick it to another instead of holding an open and honest discussion. This is a primary reason of why I have personally stepped back from discussing most political issues on social media. ....................A final point that should be addressed is the breakdown of accurate information. We really are living in an era of “fake news.” There are studies that show false information travels faster than what is true. Because we all have our biases, we often gravitate towards information that appeals to what we want to be true. This further reiterates the earlier point of the dangers of pushing out opinions and views that do not agree with ours. If you fall victim to fake news, how can you tell if you have removed everyone in your life who are capable of pointing it out?
The nasty elements of today’s politics are nothing new. They have always been around. The difference is how much faster everything travels.
