The Lens That Shape Today's Political Discourse
Political Lenses Nothing a person thinks, says, or does is ever in its own pure form. Every second of every day a person’s view is tainted by a lens. All people have these lenses. When considering politics, what are the main factors that shape today’s political discourse? First of all, what is discourse? Merriam Webster Dictionary defines discourse as, “the use of words to exchange thoughts and ideas.” Simply put, discourse is another term for discussion. Everyone has met some form of political discourse in their life, but what sways those discussions? Three lenses that shape political discourse today are, the lens of education, the lens of current events, and the lens of media. Nelson Mandela once stated, “Education is the most powerful
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In the age of electronics and internet a day cannot pass without witnessing some sort of media. Whether it is television, Facebook, or the Sunday newspaper, people are constantly fed. How does the media feed its listeners, through political discourse? Media is simply recorded political discussion for the entire world to share in. However, it so happens that media loves to be biased. The media lens of one citizen will be very different for another. A man who watches Fox News every evening may become extremely frustrated when trying to maintain a political discussion with a CNN viewer. Why is this the case?, because of the political biases of those stations. In an article titled Understanding Bias the American Press Institute stated, “One can even argue that draining a story of all bias can drain it of its humanity, its lifeblood. In the biases of the community one can also find conflicting passions that bring stories to life.” This idea is very true as long as a person does not simply indoctrinate themselves with one bias, but instead seeks out many opinions before coming to his/her decision. It is in the writer’s opinion that political discourse is seen at its worst on social media such as Facebook. Despite the name, Facebook has everything not to do with face to face conversation and because of that fact, many people have entered into arguments with their friends concerning politics they go on to regret. Despite it being a quick and efficient way to communicate, nothing will ever come close to the vulnerability of a face to face
In the age of electronics and internet a day cannot pass without witnessing some sort of media. Whether it is television, Facebook, or the Sunday newspaper, people are constantly fed. How does the media feed its listeners, through political discourse? Media is simply recorded political discussion for the entire world to share in. However, it so happens that media loves to be biased. The media lens of one citizen will be very different for another. A man who watches Fox News every evening may become extremely frustrated when trying to maintain a political discussion with a CNN viewer. Why is this the case?, because of the political biases of those stations. In an article titled Understanding Bias the American Press Institute stated, “One can even argue that draining a story of all bias can drain it of its humanity, its lifeblood. In the biases of the community one can also find conflicting passions that bring stories to life.” This idea is very true as long as a person does not simply indoctrinate themselves with one bias, but instead seeks out many opinions before coming to his/her decision. It is in the writer’s opinion that political discourse is seen at its worst on social media such as Facebook. Despite the name, Facebook has everything not to do with face to face conversation and because of that fact, many people have entered into arguments with their friends concerning politics they go on to regret. Despite it being a quick and efficient way to communicate, nothing will ever come close to the vulnerability of a face to face