There is a lack of substantial debate in British politics, despite the abundance of disputes. While the difference may seem trivial, there is a distinction between communication that enhances understanding and communication used as a weapon or decoy. In the midst of fear and anger stemming from the Middle East, it is crucial to acknowledge this difference.
We are so accustomed to the constant flow of news that it is easy to forget a time when information was scarce. Although the truth is often delayed, we are bombarded with synthetic truthiness – meaningless information that satisfies but does not nourish.
Spreading false information before the truth is nothing new, especially in times of crisis. Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part II begins with Rumour spreading false reports. The difference now is that false information travels at the speed of light through technology, while real evidence takes time to emerge.
When an explosion occurred at a Gaza hospital, outrage and condemnation spread quickly without waiting for confirmation of what really happened. The assumption that it was an aerial bombardment aligns with the pre-existing bias against Israel, even though evidence later suggests it was a misfire of an Islamic Jihad rocket.
However, it’s not just about confirming facts. Public debates can turn toxic when polluted by misinformation. As a journalist with 25 years of experience, I am confident in my ability to verify sources. I have enough political contacts to do my own fact-checking. While politicians and journalists are fallible, I reject the conspiracy theory that everything is a sham.
Nevertheless, I understand the impulse to avoid the news. I know many people who are deeply engaged in politics but find the media distressing. As a Jewish person in the shadow of antisemitic violence, I am torn between the duty to be informed and the desire to avoid the painful process of getting informed.
Meaningful arguments are what I crave amidst the pointless frenzy. Labels like “terrorists” for Hamas are accurate, and I dismiss those who believe the BBC calling them “militants” is a disgrace as part of a campaign against the BBC. The real debate is on editorial language and moral equivalence, not a rhetorical weapon.
The debate about the Middle East often feels like displacement activity. People are grappling for agency in the face of events that are beyond their control, in a complex geopolitical and historical context for which their routine responses are inadequate.
Qualified experts who choose their words carefully have been left speechless by the magnitude of the crisis. It’s hard to respect the opinions of those who casually speak on the rolling news channels without a deep understanding of the situation.
This dysfunction existed before the crisis and is amplified now. The continuity of trivialized politics and the pretense of instant gravitas are frustrating. I struggle to take seriously Conservative politicians who were recently demanding an end to a fictitious war on motorists.
This style of politics is absurd, polarized, monotonous, hysterical, and portentous all at once.
However, I must guard against becoming a curmudgeon. There was no golden age of public discourse, and idiocy and prejudice have always existed. The digital cacophony reflects greater diversity in media. Nostalgia for simpler times can seem like mourning for lost privilege.
It is possible to envision a better kind of political conversation without longing for the past. We have podcasts, blogs, live events, and newsletters where healthy arguments thrive based on analysis and facts. But such conversations are less common in the institutions of democracy. Parliamentary debate is filled with vacuous bombast, occasional consensus, and rare moments of brilliance.
All of this makes it difficult to look forward to a general election without dread. I value the fact that Britain chooses its leaders through elections, but I wish the campaigns didn’t leave the electorate bitter and the process degraded. It may be naive to expect change, but I refuse to accept that it has to be this way. A good argument can make a difference. [HTML tags retained]
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