Politics & Opinion

How Our Contradictions Make Us Human

There are beliefs and things most of us want so badly to believe that they become facts, and most likely, they are wrong

Our political opinions and attitudes are integral to who we are and how we construct our identities. These days, you see people’s gradual, redeeming process of realizing that so much of what they thought about the world might’ve been misguided and must now change — about COVID-19 and wokeness, Russia, the Democrats, the Republicans, and anything else. It’s a huge realization, a mass movement comprising people doing that thing that most clearly characterizes what it means to be human — namely, the capacity to analyze reality, reconfigure our convictions, grow, and change. It’s an encouraging sign that a fundamental realignment is at hand — something new and beautiful built on the ashes of our scorched political earth or past convictions.

For instance, researchers have discovered that moral and emotional messages on contentious political topics, such as gun control and climate change, spread rapidly within and between ideologically like-minded systems. This echo-chamber dilemma seems to be made worse by the algorithms of social media companies, who send us progressively extreme content to fit our political preferences.

The fast-changing world

It’s okay to change your mind, especially amid an extraordinary global pandemic encompassing a novel virus and disrupting political upheaval. Maybe you needed the vaccines to be a magical panacea so you didn’t trouble to inquire why you should put too much faith in an industry that only recently promised to heal all pain with opioids, unleashing catastrophe and killing tens of thousands. Or why the government officials were repeating Big Pharma talking points without access to raw information. And maybe you ridiculed those who took the time to ask these questions as conspiracy theorists or, worse, dubbed them as nutcases.

But here’s another factor: YOU also change all the time, and you’re likely not the same as you were a year, month, week, and even a day ago, which means we need to shape-shift often. Swedish researchers’ study of moral viewpoints suggests that our minds are significantly more changeable than we suppose.

I’ve changed my opinion on some issues of our time, and I reserve the right to change it again. I’ve tried to see if changing political affiliation fits. I still don’t know, yet I’m experiencing the extreme discomfort of simultaneously holding two thoughts in conflict. Some of us are in the habit of doubling down in the face of contradictory evidence to reduce the uneasiness of dissonance, all the while seeking out agreeable information and avoiding, ignoring, devaluing, or arguing against information that contradicts our beliefs.

At some point, I decided to forsake my cushiony cave and venture out to expand my mind, leaving myself open to encountering information that suggests something I believe is wrong.

This political journey began with the baseline things I believe that define me. I’m not liberal because I think it tends toward socialism, but I possess a strong social conscience. I lean toward conservatism because I want all the personal freedom I can get while pursuing my dreams. So I must be moderate because I have a social conscience but need my freedom. Of course, it’s important to keep hold of some moral bearings, some values that will not alter alarmingly according to the latest signature hysteria of the moment.

A study published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest found that people are reluctant to correct misinformation in their memories if it fits in with their political beliefs.

Changing my mind about changing my mind

It may be unusual, but I keep changing my mind about changing my mind, and I do it frequently. Recently I’ve changed my mind about flowers, working out, houseplants, and how I view money. In some topics, I’ve changed my mind more than once: social media (thumbs down, not sure about thumbs down, then thumbs up, then thumbs down); winter (love, hate, maybe love); and chocolate (yes, no, heck yes). And then there are the things I change my mind about every day: About writing, Food, democracy, and the internet.

However, there are things I will not change my mind about, such as pedophilia, human trafficking, bigotry, slavery, and murder. But almost everything else — when the truths change, I adjust my thinking. Let’s face it; the facts change a great deal over time. And this is most likely the crucial point. For our psychological equilibrium, we are expected to change our minds. It’s ludicrous to think that we will believe the same things at 70 that we did at 20, that our worldview can survive intact when constantly pulverized by the relentless tides of experience and events beyond our control.

And I refuse to twist myself into pretzel positions that even seasoned yogis can’t hold to escape admitting I was wrong or my current seesaw mindset. However, this near-constant vacillation is not a perceived good look for a politician or even for the writer of comment pieces. There is a danger that uncertainty comes off second best in this age of hyperbole. No one ever won an argument with “I’m not so sure.”

Fear of cancel culture — Americans know it exists and feels its burden

When public discourse in America is lessened, it becomes harder to answer the urgent questions we face as a society. For all the open-mindedness modern society claims, Americans are losing grip of a fundamental right: the right to voice their minds and voice their opinions in public without the anxiety of being shamed or shunned.

This social smothering has been evident for a long time, but calling it out arouses more fear. It feels dangerous for a strong nation and open society. After all, freedom of speech is the foundation of democratic self-government. If people feel free to communicate their views, the democratic process can react to and undertake competing ideas. Free speech is centered on mutual respect. This is not easy to accomplish. Social media is flooded in picking-apart, piling-on, put-down variety. A flood of distortion and disinformation online has intensified this battle on ideas.

How has this happened?

In large part, it’s because members of both affiliations are ensnarled in a damaging loop of criticism and retaliation. Many on the left decline to acknowledge that cancel culture exists, supposing that those who complain about it are bigots who peddle hate speech. Conversely, for all their complaining about cancel culture, many on the right have embraced a version of censoriousness as a safeguard against a rapidly changing society, with laws that would ban books, restrain teachers, and hinder open discussion in classrooms. If you are anything like me, you’d be understandably confused about what you can say and where you can say it. We should be able to ask questions, make mistakes, and take shunned but good-faith positions on matters that society is still working through — all without being scared of cancellation.

You might say anyone on the right is closest to a Neo-Nazi, and anyone on the left is closer to a communist. While you can argue for both of these, they don’t consider people like Libertarians, who are far from fascists in their desire for open borders, support of the 2nd Amendment, like the GOP, and support for legalized marijuana much of the time. This doesn’t explain all the different branches of communism, which can vary drastically in their desire to change society from anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, to Stalin and Mao.

Shape-shifting

I can’t consider myself a supporter of free speech and be policing and punishing speech more than protecting it. I believe that free speech requires a greater willingness to evaluate ideas I dislike and exercise self-restraint in the face of expressions that challenge and even unsettle.

As I write this, I feel a twinge of worry that I’ll be judged and dismissed. But, I refuse to feel guilty that my political views are beginning to swing wildly across spectrums. But what I can tell you is that I find myself more enlightened and more fair-minded in the process.

I also refuse to feel guilty that I voted and supported Trump. My views since have changed, but at the time, I based my opinion on the most up-to-date and trustworthy information that resonated with me, the foundation of intellectual honesty. Stubbornly sticking to one point of view and refusing to consider it critically is an inflexible stance.

In their fight for tolerance, many progressives have become intolerant of those who disagree with them or express other opinions — a kind of self-righteousness and censoriousness that the right long exhibited and the left long detested.

Shape-shifting is confusing, and for those who find it difficult to readjust, the goal is not to be correct or rigid or to admit that you were wrong. Part of the issue with judging people on a simple, one-dimensional spectrum is that it doesn’t allow for much diversity of views along that spectrum.

Joni Mitchell so succinctly sang in her album Both Sides Now. Her message was clear — looking at a question and realizing that she doesn’t understand life “at all.” And that inconsistencies define the world we live in.

Rows and floes of angel hair

And ice cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun

They rain and snow on everyone

So many things I would have done

But clouds got in my way

While simultaneously sinister and silly, contemporary politics can leave you in tears or stitches. Considering the amount of nonsense spoken, it is consoling that so many people mean so little of what they say. What’s important is that when we can’t change everything, making peace with the world might be the best thing for our well-being.

One thing for sure, attacking people on campus, on social media, and elsewhere who express shunned ideas from a place of good faith is the practice of a closed society. (Stop here for a second and let these thoughts sink in.) There is a difference between hate speech and speech that challenges us.

Thank you for reading and sticking with me to the end.

If you haven’t signed up for Medium yet, and want to read all my articles, use my affiliate link! There’s no additional cost to you, and I’ll receive a small commission — thanks for your support!