Are you a hyper-partisan? If you are, stop it right now. These rabid ideologues are damaging America and I'm continuing to call them out.
First, a definition: A hyper-partisan is a person who does not seek the truth; rather, he or she tailors information to fit a preconceived political viewpoint. What is actually happening in the world is not important to these ideological zombies; it's all about reinforcing their core beliefs.
Thus, no matter what President Obama does, he's wrong to the hyper-partisans who oppose him. Even if he had killed Osama bin Laden with his bare hands, the President's enemies would have accused him of showing off. Meanwhile, to hyper-partisans on the left, true-believing conservatives like Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum are evil all day, every day.
If it were just a few Kool-Aid drinking nuts, no one would care. But we have entire media outlets that have gone hyper-partisan. Newspapers like The New York Times are just about entirely left wing. That paper's circulation has dropped dramatically, but lots of other media outlets still take their cues from the Times, which defends President Obama at every turn.
Want a recent example of hyper-partisanship in the media? When Pope Francis criticized capitalism and income inequality, the networks and major papers lapped it up, doing numerous stories about the new "liberal" pontiff. But when the Pope condemned abortion as an example of the "throw-away culture," the media came down with a case of mass laryngitis.
Then there's Chris Christie and the George Washington Bridge affair. According to the conservative Media Research Center, the three major networks covered that story 17 time more than they covered the IRS scandal over the past six months. That's not reporting, it's cheerleading.
Conservative pundits and talk radio can also fall into hyper-partisanship. Republicans good, Democrats bad. Life simply cannot be that simple, can it? But for the hyper-partisans it is. Nothing stands in the way of their belief system. Not facts, not provable truth.
I believe there are more hyper-partisans on the left, and they certainly dominate our media and universities. Many conservatives were openly angry with the Bush administration over enormous government spending and the chaos in Iraq. I don't see as much independent thinking on the left, where President Obama is rarely criticized by his acolytes.
So let's start mocking all these hyper-partisans, and let's begin to encourage critical thinking in America. It's much more interesting and it's far better for the country, because an acceptance of fact-based reality is crucial to solving problems.
And if you still don't believe me, imagine being stranded on a desert island with Nancy Pelosi or Michael Savage. Or both! I'd hit the ocean in a second. You'd get a fairer shake from the sharks.
|
|
