Yes, the Russians, and maybe the Chinese, have influenced our elections. But they have not rigged them. They can control us and destroy us from within, and we have let them. Through social media, especially Facebook, our politics are learned, and each person is profiled. No one knows who posts “attacks” on MAGA or liberals. Most of the time, posts come from Russian “bots,” and we forward them to our “feeds,” and they then exponentially grow. The source is fake on both sides of the political spectrum, and then we seed that information to our friends and family. Consequently, each political side learns from an echo chamber of information. It is what will destroy us.
Even politicians have learned that if someone sees it on Facebook or in a political commercial, and it is said enough times, people will believe it: “This candidate is gay, or this one beats his wife.” Political commercials this election season will be grotesque and brutal. Information will be skewed or outright false. Believe none of it.
So, how does one get information to make decisions before elections? Begin by seeking many sources of information. A New York Times reader does not want to read Breitbart News or listen to Newsmax, and the Truth Social reader will not read The Atlantic or listen to MSNBC, but they should. One does not have to believe or accept everything from these sources. But it does provide an understanding of the glasses one looks through.
A middle-class retiree with a nice stock portfolio thinks the economy is great, but the schoolteacher in West Virginia with two kids and two jobs sees the economy as terrible. If one is the retiree who doesn’t know a West Virginia schoolteacher, their beliefs about the economy are true from their perspective. A parent with a gay or trans child does not see politics the same as one who doesn’t. One can stick to their political beliefs and still try to “walk a mile” in another’s shoes. We are all part of humanity trying to find our way through the short time we have been given to live on this earth.
Sandra Philips is a resident of the Village of Liberty Park.