Page 18 - Best Magazine Summer Edition 2017

MY
FACEBOOK
EXPERIENCE
BY: JOHN SPINA
ECONOMY AND FINANCE
I recently posted the following comment on my Facebook wall:
“Something sad happened recently. It’s left me in a strange place.
A Facebook friend and I had several exchanges expressing contrary positions on the Khadr case. He or she did not agree with my position and instead of either rebutting or ignoring my posts, simply unfriended me.
This is another example of a trend that I have noticed over the past twenty years. A “for me or against me” attitude when it comes to choosing friends.
Whatever happened to the view that participating in the market place of ideas would expose us to different points of view, where we might test them, consider them and either incorporate them into web of beliefs/ opinions/truths, etc.?
By surrounding ourselves with people who are like-minded, are we not depriving ourselves of the opportunity for intellectual growth?
Are we really so scared of contrary ideas that we prefer to cloister ourselves, potentially wrapping ourselves in the shroud of ignorance?”
18 THE BEST MAGAZINE WINTER 2016 - 2017
Some of the responses that I received missed the point completely. These people thought that I was upset by the loss of the so-called friend.
To be clear, while the loss of a Facebook friend is insignificant, the loss of a true, long-time friend over a disagreement over politics, an idea, religion or philosophy has very real consequences. Few friendships are based on the kind of respect and open-mindedness required for that friendship to endure under such circumstances.
One friend said it best when he posted,
“The saddest thing about social media and our connected lives is that the more access we have to all these diverse views and information sources the more we choose to limit ourselves to the voices and viewpoints that echo our own. So paradoxically with an infinite amount of diversity we end up with less ideas that challenge us and more than reaffirm or world view.” This observation is brilliant!
Instead of seizing on the opportunity to further the discussion by delving into the issues and challenging the ideas expressed, as vigorously as may be desired, they remove themselves from the discussion entirely and then take away any chance of continuing any dialogue at a later time. Imagine what the likes of Plato, Aristotle, Mill, Locke or Kant, etc. could have achieved if they had had such vast point of entry into the marketplace of ideas.
I guess that the more I ponder the circumstances the greater I am upset by the deliberate refusal by this person to detach him or herself from their opinions. People have come to identify themselves as their opinions and beliefs; as though they are indistinguishable from them.
The saddest part of it is that it's the withdrawal from the debate in such a stark manner that is unsettling. It's a harbinger of things to come.
We are going to be required to have some very challenging and difficult discussions about issues like global warming, climate change refugees, immigration, etc. We will have to be able to have those discussions as intelligent, respectful human beings in order to come to some resolution about how best to address these issues and the challenges they pose for the World.
This notion that If I can't make you agree with me I’m going to stop interacting with you altogether, just will not work.
Lack of respect, leading to contempt, resulting in failure to communicate, breeding suspicion, resulting in conflict. Pretty predictable no?
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