Everyone, including me, (and you) are embedded in a sea of information. *I* think it is important to make decisions based on fact, not wishful thinking.
*I* think one should NOT determine friendships based on beliefs held, so long as one is not dealing with fanatics: peoples whose religion or political opinion determine everything they do. When one raises politics to religion level, and that of a fundamental Taliban, you are a narcissist. The racist sees racesim in everything.
NO ONE CARES — will change their beliefs–based on your opinion. OR MINE. No one cares about what I think. I get that. But I find it frustrating that they are so misguided. Of course, they think I am misguided.
*I* , so far as I know, have not changed one person’s opinion in a decade of attempts of rational or humorous policy discussion.
Arguing doesn’t work AT ALL. I do not argue; But I may present a fact-based suggestion that differs. But I will not go beyond that, because I have found very few people who are open minded enought to approach politics this way.
*It is not that we are perfect in our analysis or approach. But the attempt toward truth is what we can do.
KNOWLEDGE OF OURSELVES IS POWER
MARK’S PRO THINKING TIPS:
1. Don’t Believe Everything You Read
If a headline sounds too perfect for your worldview, it probably is. Remember: clickbait is not scripture. I see at least 75 percent of progressive and MAGA news shares are manipulative and in error.
2. Ask “Cui Bono?” (Who Benefits?)
Every political activity is aimed to benefit someone — a politician, a network, or an activist with a Patreon account you can help $$$. Stop being their unpaid intern.
3. Know the Difference Between News, Opinion, and Entertainment
Breaking: Anderson Cooper’s eyebrow raise is not investigative journalism. Tucker Carlson’s smirk is not a peer-reviewed study. If they want you emotional, it’s probably because they want your eyeballs for ads.
4. Stop Believing What You Wish To Be True Must Be True
Reality doesn’t bend just because you feel it should. Economics doesn’t care about your hashtags, and biology doesn’t take votes.
5. Demand Facts, Not Feelings
Most people just want to know what actually happened. If you can’t tell where facts end and the editorial begins, you’re watching a soap opera, not the news.
6. Recognize Confirmation Bias
Yes, that warm, fuzzy sensation when Rachel Maddow says exactly what you already believed? That’s not enlightenment. That’s your brain on dopamine. Step outside the bubble and test your assumptions.
7. Beware Emotional Manipulation
When every story makes you angry, afraid, or tearful, congratulations — you’ve become a customer of the outrage industry. They keep you hooked because rage pays better than reason.
8. Read Across The Spectrum
Progressives fear Fox, conservatives fear CNN, moderates fear C-SPAN because it’s boring. But balance comes from sampling widely, not from staying in your favorite ideological hot tub.
9. Remember: Government Waste Is Bipartisan
If you think only “the other party” wastes money, you’re a victim of selective outrage.
10. Think For Yourself. Political stance should be subject to religious policy, and not a replacement for it.
Your brain didn’t come with a party label. Stop outsourcing your reasoning to pundits and start exercising those neurons.
