Fifth Assignment- Post #1

Our current model of public discourse is unfavorable, as it does reward bad faith argumentation. Instead of listening, assessing, and most of all working toward a solution, the media strives to make its case and give credence to nobody else's. Even if they were to say that they valued all opinions, an audience wouldn't know it; there is screaming, wrong information, and sentences cut off before they are finished which can only mean the person arguing it didn't hear the whole thing and thus isn't quite sure what it is they are arguing.

Another place where these things occur, albeit in a slightly different way, is on online forums. Even if someone gives a reasonable and well-thought out argument in the 'comments' section of a political news video, the only thing that people can do in response is 'like' the post, 'dislike' the post, comment agreeing with the post, or comment shredding that original poster to shreds (and that, unfortunately, makes up a majority of the content). This is not actually accomplishing anything; instead, it acts as a facade for the anonymous and nameless to voice their opinions without any real chance at legitimate discourse or or at working towards any kind of remedy for the issue at hand. For a wonderfully irritating example of this roundabout gibberish, take a look at the following link:

http://news.yahoo.com/affordable-care-act-only-chips-away-core-goal-175534209.html

^Be warned when you click, as there are over 1,500 comments at the moment.

This kind of unethical discourse is encouraged, unfortunately, because nobody wants to put a stop to it. Arguments make good promo spots, which increase ratings. In terms of 'comments' strands: why show restraint when you are protected by a screen and remain anonymous? Say what you want to say and don't hold back, right? The damage that these things do is real, as people are actually hurt and spend hours upon hours rebutting in an argument that can only lead one place: nowhere. I believe that perhaps our greatest privilege in this country is free speech, but I can't help wishing that we used it to a more satisfying end.