If you don’t watch the TED talks from time to time, you really should. TED is difficult for me to describe, because the talks cover such a broad range of expertise including design, science, religion, philosophy, mathematics, music, athletics, etc. You might say that it strives to cover every area of the human condition with the laudable objective of improving the world.
The talk below shows Jonathan Haidt and his talk on the real difference between Liberals and Conservatives. This is a topic dear to my heart, because as I’ve said before, the bitter and ever-worsening divide between the two is the prime reason for the continuing failure of our government and society. We constantly have this divide shoved down our collective throats, and too many have embraced it. I too often hear terms like rethuglican, moonbat, or libtard. These are sometimes used humorously, but it seems more and more often that these words are used in all seriousness. The problem with this is that when these terms are used, then the offender has ceased to view his opponent as another human being. They are now an object of scorn, and that is very often used to not only end a debate, but to prevent one from ever happening! This behavior is becoming unavoidable, especially in the blogosphere, and I’m becoming more and more disgusted by it, especially when I catch myself participating in it.
While I think this does have to be repaired through a better understanding of each other, please don’t think that we should stop the argument, debate, and even snark! No, the debate and even the sometimes brutal humor has a place in the public square, however the dehumanization of the opposing side is a true and dire problem that must be remedied if we are to advance as a society.
With that in mind, and if you have 20 minutes to spare, please watch this video and see if it helps you better understand your opponent.
Tags: Conservatives, Jonathan Haidt, Liberals, TED, TED Talks
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