ESCAPE THE ECHO CHAMBER

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE AN OPEN MINDED PERSON?

Ask yourself now, and then re-evaluate your answer in a few minutes.

There’s a disheartening trend going on across social media where people are blocking, unfriending, and unfollowing friends, colleagues, and acquaintances for demonstrating views that are different from their own.

These are a few examples of posts I’ve come across today (June 3rd, 2020):
“I’m unfriending anyone that thinks riots are okay.”
“I’m blocking any of my friends that ‘Support The Blue’”
“If you don’t ‘Support The Blue’ unfriend me.”

If you unfriend/block someone because their beliefs differ from your own, you’re assisting in the creation of a social media echo chamber, which completely robs you of any perspective. If you’re unwilling to try and understand a perspective different from your own, no matter the topic, then you cannot consider yourself open-minded.

Willingness to understand doesn’t mean you have to agree.

I know that some people can be inflammatory and cannot be reasoned with. In those cases, by all means, protect your peace.

However, I don’t believe that’s the case with the majority of the people you’ve chosen to add to your friend’s list. Otherwise, they would never have been added. These are the people that I’m addressing right now. You added these people as “friends” or “followers” for a reason. They’re likely level-headed people just like you. People that may come from a very different world than you and therefore may have very different world views.

I’m not saying to try and force a conversation with a bigot or to make excuses for the willfully ignorant. No. If you come across these people, save your mental energy.

What I am saying is that you (white or black) should be able to have a civil discussion with people that disagree with you. Be an adult. It could become a teaching or learning opportunity. Remember these are people you once considered “friends.” Or at least were close enough work/school colleagues to be added on social media. Finding out they don’t believe in what you believe in shouldn’t result in them being blocked/unfriended unless they’re being intentionally inflammatory. 

You’d be surprised at how much we can enlighten one another and help fill the gaps of perception, by sharing our unique perspectives and realities.

The next time you come across a person on your timeline that you fundamentally disagree with, instead of getting blocking them, see if they’re willing to help you understand the logic behind their position. In turn share the logic in yours. If you can do that, even if you still disagree, you’ll understand each other a lot better. And finding that common ground is much more progressive than “They don’t believe what I believe, so they’re the enemy.”

Growth happens when our beliefs are challenged. Embrace it.