Both Sides Now

I'm realizing that blogging is more about maintaining a written record of the fact that you were right before anyone else than it is about changing minds. In fact, as people seek out their own personal news outlets, that's pretty much becoming the state of all forms of communication.

If you only get your news from Fox or Air America or the Daily Show or Drudge or any equally slanted source, stop being so sheltered. There's a word for people who try to avoid any news that could be perceived as bad, and that word is "cowards."

What happened to seeking out objective sources that would provide all the facts, good and bad, without a smirk or a nudge? Those news sources still exist, but they're losing ground. Did I really see someone on Daily Kos refer to the Washington Post's even-handed media critic as Howard KKKurtz? Are you kidding me?

People are abandoning entire newspapers and networks for fear that they'll see something that won't fit perfectly into their existing worldview. Others greet every piece of bad news by questioning the credibility of the messenger. This is a good idea, but not when you're only skeptical of stories you disagree with.

The kind of tunnel vision I'm talking about -- you're either with me or you're a liar -- is what got Democrats into Memogate. They were so eager to tear down Bush that they lost any sense of objectivity, and even the ability to vet memos that clearly needed vetting. Many left-leaners seemed as incapable of fairness as those lunatics who used to claim that Bill Clinton went around murdering people.

So take a minute today to take in a perspective that's different from your own. If nothing else, it might make you better at trying to persuade people who disagree with you. Have we given up on persuading people?