Larry D. Lauer

My conclusion: Trump was Trump. Biden was Biden. The moderator was not in control. The chaos was an embarrassment to our country all around the world.  

Many scholars thought that Kennedy won the first televised debate. And those who listened on the radio thought Nixon won. Nixon sounded more informed on the issues. Kennedy was more charismatic.

I suggest that “selective perception” was probably in full swing during this debate. If you started out liking Biden you probably became more committed. And vice versa if you liked Trump.

But many others probably got totally frustrated, even embarrassed at all the shouting. They might even be thinking they will not vote at all. But not voting is still voting, and that’s not a good solution. You must vote.

And there always are a few undecideds looking for a reason to make a choice. In the past, these people often found one or the other slightly more likable. So a few votes might have been decided this way.

Bottom line: Most political scientists I know have concluded that debates rarely change people’s minds. They become reinforced in what they already thought. Is that what happened to you? 

That said, this country does not need another debate like this.

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There are two physicians on my street that have Trump signs in their yards. I have been thinking a lot lately about how that could have happened?

Is it because they have never actually worked directly with frontline health care professionals?

Is it because they really do not want people to have affordable health insurance? Or Medicare? Or social security?

Is it because they are wealthy enough see the stock market as the primary driver of their personal worth?

Or are they connected financially with healthcare organizations that benefit from Trump’s tax breaks?

Or is it because they really think that recent tax breaks have actually helped working people?

Or is it because their patients are all at their same income level?

These are smart people. Do they simply not see the damage that has been done? In education? In infrastructure? In foreign affairs? In human rights? In climate change? In the loss of jobs?

The sad news about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing came to me as I was writing this. Her career should be a lesson for us now. She was bigger than politics. She was a cultural icon for democracy and individual freedom. This election is not about making a political choice. It’s about solving a very serious national problem. Save the sorting out of political party ideology for next time.

For this election… do you want to reelect an “only I can do it,” authoritarian dictator? Or do you want to save American democracy?

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I have written about the impact of media revolutions at many times and in many different ways. Every day it becomes more and more clear how they go on disrupting so many lives.

Here is still another way of explaining the situation:  

When information implodes all around you every day, and you have a special interest or an angry complaint, it is now easier than ever to find people who agree with you. You can always find them somewhere on social media, and that discovery will very likely reshape your universe. That’s the good news, but…

If you are inclined to favor conspiracies finding so many others with the same inclination may surprise you. Your alternate universe will accommodate your underlying fantasy life.

Your universe also offers an illusion of personal safety. So you can go ahead and exercise that mean streak that has been lurking just below the surface of your personality. But eventually could become an angry person.

That mean streak can quickly become an attack weapon. Using Twitter and other social media platforms, individuals, organizations, and governments are able to attack each other spreading fear.

Many young people are able to create their own digital universe from their bedrooms. Some get so hooked that they lose interest in communicating face-to-face. Bullying originates in these lonely bedrooms.

Easy online relationships sometimes result in dangerous liaisons. Social media produces artificial feelings of safety.

Consumers today usually find and stay with news sources they agree with… avoiding other mind-stretching ideas.

Media revolutions change journalism. Digital technology enables news sources of all types and biases. Commercial TV success produces celebrity reporters, faster stories, shorter interviews, and endless ads.

Extremists in both parties are politicizing and polarizing voting districts. When they go to Washington they remain polarized and controlled by those who fund them.

Also, computers today are able to repeat the same messages over and over automatically (often called bots)… confusing entire societies about important political and social issues.

In short, media revolutions produce daily information implosions which end up dividing the public on important issues. They create a strange social media world that changes people’s beliefs, and behaviors both in our homes and governments.

Therefore, the news media simply must stop reporting wild tweets and false statement as daily news. Media revolutions have changed journalism. And it is already past time for this profession to call out lies and false statements no matter who makes them. Our democracy and world peace depend on it.    

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