11-03-2024 8:08pm

EDITORIAL: Opinions Are Like Ear Holes, Everyone Has Them

Nate Weeks Editor

Photograph courtesy of Element5 Digital

On one side, my neighbors have a sign for Trump and Vance. On the other side, a Harris and Walz sign is proudly displayed in that neighbor's front yard.

I have many friends and family members I love very much who are on either side of the political battle that is currently raging.

I myself have very strong opinions about which side is the best for our country's future, but I don't feel that it is my place to tell anyone else how they should vote. I do think the choice should be obvious to anyone who wants a country where everyone is accountable to laws and not just those who can't afford endless teams of attorneys.

But I will not turn my back on my friends and family who are voting for the other party no matter how wrong I think they are. I believe that we are all in this together regardless of our opinions. We can't be truly successful unless we find a way to understand each other better and respect each other as every human should be respected.

One of my friends recently listed off a long list of reasons he believed that the candidate he was voting for would be the best president for our country. His reasons included that illegal immigrants are getting social services that American citizens, especially veterans, aren't getting.

I didn't know much about social services and immigrants so I decided to do some research. My research quickly uncovered some facts about what social services immigrants can receive that differed a lot from what my friend had told me.

But after our conversation was over and we said our goodbyes, we both believed the same things that we had before we talked.

I try to stay curious about many of the things I hear repeated near and far on social media, from the mouths of friends and family, in the news, and from the mouths of political leaders. I often hear catchphrases thrown about and blanket statements made that truly seem unbelievable.

I often hear these opinions backed up by nothing more than "Someone told me..." or a story about an event that happened that has often times ended up not having been completely accurate.

These are times when of great confusion. There are many opinions spoken so loudly and confidently, and said repeatedly by figures in the media and the world of politics, that it sounds convincing.

Instead of just believing what you hear or read, if you research unbiased sources it is very common to will find out of many things being so proudly repeated are simply falsehoods, sometimes with a bit of truth mixed in and sometimes just made up completely.

Allsides.com is a website where you can find out which websites will give you the most unbiased opinions.

It is confusing when there are so many saying things that appear to be wrong based on easily uncovered facts.

Since 2020, I have heard an enormous amount of opinions that sounded as if they could be spoken by someone with a tinfoil hat arguing with themselves in the street. Conspiracy theories are as commonplace as shoes. Any opinion you might have, no matter how outlandish, can be found represented online somewhere.

I am not vain enough to believe my own opinion is correct all or even most of the time, nor do I believe any one person is always right and never wrong.

But I do believe it is very important to be critical about the things you decide to believe, especially in a time when it is so easy to post a lie online, create a misleading video, write fake new stories, twist the framing of events in order to anger or upset people, or even to just lie in speeches that mislead millions.

The thing that most worries me is how many of us appear to believe that the people on the other side of whatever political opponent you support aren't just as convinced about their beliefs as you are.

When we truly understood that everyone believes what they believe for a reason, we can start to have honest discussions about what "the other side" actually believes and why. We can start to uncover what fears are justified and in need of urgent responses and which are just lies meant to enrage and motivate people to keep voting for the same party.

There is only one choice in this election that I believe supports the values and legacy of this country. I can only hope that enough of us vote in such a way that a message is sent about what we want the future of this country to look like.

More importantly, I pray that one day we can come learn to work together by focusing on the many important things that we share, like family and freedom and love, instead of endlessly arguing and fighting about the disagreements we have over opinions and beliefs.