Joan Westenberg talking about why, in this policatical charged climate, it pays to pick a side.
When you pick a side and commit to it wholly and without reservation, you get things that moderate positions cannot provide. You get certainty in an uncertain world. You get a community that will defend you. You get a simple heuristic for navigating complex issues.
Above all: you get engagement, attention and influence.
The writer who says “this issue has nuance and I can see valid concerns on multiple sides” gets a pat on the head and zero retweets. The influencer who says “everyone who disagrees with me on this is either evil or stupid” gets quote-tweeted into visibility and gains followers who appreciate their approximation of clarity.
The returns on reasonableness have almost entirely collapsed.
But then we become prisoners of our own making. How to avoid it? Joan Westenberg suggest three simple things.
- Diversifying your information sources.
- Distinguish truth from noise.
- Join communities that reward humility, not loyalty.
naveegator.in 