White Man Accused Of Being Correct. Chaos Ensues

As I write this, I have gone into hiding, fearful that an army of politically correct imbeciles and social justice warriors could descend on my location laden with pitchforks and hashtags. I’m about to suggest that as a society, we return to the good old days when we let common sense occupy the ground where sound bytes and hysteria now dominate. As a white man I’m not really allowed and actual opinion these days, because I’m a part of the patriarchy therefore automatically bad. I’m not complaining. I’m doing what I always do, ignoring the clamour of the crowd and the hysteria of the masses and just trying to chart a course through life on my own terms. In a recent comment Matt Damon suggested that there’s a difference in patting someone on the butt and say, rape. He suggested that there’s a sliding scale of offences which we need to be aware of rather than simply jumping off the deep end and declaring all levels of harassment, sexual or otherwise, as equal. He’s right, of course. Therefore the internet devoured him. Because this is how the world appears to work now. #Me too is in and of itself a wonderful consciousness raising platform, and a powerful potential tool in the necessary and overdue task to change male behaviour towards women. But like all things there’s the risk it gets hijacked by idiots and reactionaries that have no grasp of nuance and no capacity to think in intricate terms. And the internet, and social media in particular, gives them a voice they never had before. This is good, by the way, because as a free speech prostitute I’m happy to allow all and sundry to make a noise and show me what post lobotomy behaviour looks like. But I have a little advice. Or actually a challenge if you like. Indulge me for a moment if you will, and in your mind go to the subject that you feel most passionate about. That one issue that stirs up the hornet’s nest inside. You will likely agree with those that share your view, and via social media you can select your news feed so it contains predominantly the content you already agree with. Voila. You’ve just created your own personalised echo chamber. You’ve inadvertently annexed yourself from all dissenting opinions. You’re well on the way to becoming less informed than you might like to think. So here’s my advice. As much as this might trouble you, why not try actively seeking out some alternative voices? Why not actually seek out opinions that flat out disagree with everything you stand for. What have you got to lose? If nothing else you come away with a better understanding of what the other side thinks. You might not change your view, but you’ll understand theirs much better. I did this over a decade ago during a time when I held very passionate religious views. It was a real palate cleanser, and as a result I made the best decision I ever made, which was to reject religion in every shape and form. I began to think for myself. I widened my lens. I embraced new views and ideas and let them all ferment. Above all, I was being intellectually honest. I was breathing deeper. I had space to change my mind based on evidence and reason, and break free from all my biases. I will never regret this, and I’ve never lost out by taking the time to listen the people who I do not agree with. Quite the opposite. I’ve grown from it. And my concern with the world these days is that we’ve created for ourselves these bubbles of agreement, fencing ourselves off from really learning and developing. I think we are the worse for it. So to conclude, perhaps if you’ve reached the end of this, 2018 will be the year when you emerge from the nest. Perhaps you might change your mind about something. Perhaps you won’t. But this much I know; to seek knowledge without bias is noble and praiseworthy, and to do so is a path I can only encourage you to take.