If You Share Partisan Hackery on Social Media, You're Part of the Problem

This is something I wrote four years ago. It's still relevant, only the 'crises' have changed. In four years from now make no mistake, we'll be in a social media frenzy over different crises and we'll realize that most of this stuff is merely political soap opera.

Fact: Everyone has an agenda and 99% of those in media politicize anything. ANYTHING. Climate change, kids on a border, sex, sex in the oval office, rape, women’s bodies, a rifle referred to as an ‘assault weapon’, Obama saying “You didn’t build that”, science, Bergdahl, military pay, Guantanamo, war, ebola and any crisis that makes the news. ANYTHING.

Fact: Both sides do it. When it’s convenient and serves a part, they do it. They do it because it’s divisive and it turns us against each other even if we might agree 85% of the time. They create talking points because they work. They employ wordsmiths who create these 10-word perfections that are easily believed and once heard, can be easily repeated with little guilt about its precision to prove a point and stop an argument.

Fact: Most adults have found themselves to be allied with one or two sides of this great debate. When their side politicizes something, it seems very agreeable even if your side finds it juvenile and you can see right through the logic. When your side politicizes something, it reinforces something within you that you know to be true. When others disagree with it, they are obviously less intelligent and have no common sense.

Opinion: We are all familiar with Rush Limbaugh, Mother Jones, Sean Hannity, Al Franken, Ann Coulter, Arianna Huffington, Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore and Jon Stewart. Each one of them is the exact same tool but representing different sides. When you ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ posts from one side who is politicizing yet argue against the other when they are doing the same thing you aren’t educating anyone to your side of the problem. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

My only hope is that people realize that there are very few politicians that are actually looking out for your best interests. They have all hired teams of pollsters to figure out what most of you like, so they can say the right things. Those same wordsmiths on staff phrase their talking points just the right way, easily repeatable. Once in office, they are constantly positioning to STAY in office.

They are using YOU to stay there. Keep ‘Sharing’ but share wisely.