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QuestionIs consensus reality collapsing
I am now on the “wrong side” of more than one major political issue than my social circle. I can see, through their words and actions on and offline, that we exist in parallel but opposite realities.
It’s normal to accuse others of being brainwashed or hoodwinked by propaganda. It’s not possible to hold an informed opinion, because all information is suspect.
Debates no longer happen to persuade the unconvinced (if they ever did) but to be filmed to create online content to further convince people who have already made up their minds of their side’s correctness. You can find “look how stupid/evil they are” content for every side of any debate.
There are no more facts of science or history. There is no such thing as common sense or shared values. Everything is context, and behind every context are bad actors who are providing false or incomplete information to deliberately manufacture consent for disastrous or immoral policies. The number of reasoned, rational or moral solutions are dwindling. Many problems now require displays of force in the form of public protests, sometimes with weapons, sometimes with violence. Families are being split apart over elections. Coffee is political.
Or is it just me? Was life always this way? Are people still changing their minds based on new information? Do we agree on any truths?
I’m a believer in the substitution hypothesis ie that humanity is predisposed for some sort of religious belief (or need to believe in something bigger in ourselves that we can share with others) and if no religion is available something else will take its place which will be given the same devotion and need to proselytise and inspire destructive impulses. Soviet communism and Maoism are examples as is the TRA cult. I think organised religion is almost a necessity (in evolutionary, psychological, and sociological terms) in civilisations where living in groups of more than 150 is the norm as it’s a common bond and reference point that can tie a community together. If it’s not organised religion it’ll be something else and so far the ‘something elses’ are more horrifying.
Agree