By Halle Fukawa
Staff Writer
The United States was created on the principle of freedom in the way we live and express ourselves. However this strong value of independence and self-righteousness has often times led us to conflict; from “What color is the dress?” to “Is global warming a threat?” the U.S has the reputation of being quick to judge and even quicker to point fingers. Today, the U.S feels more divided than ever, and because of that it has become imperative for citizens to work together to find solutions rather than scapegoats.
According to the Pew Research Center as of July, nearly 64% of U.S adults claimed their trust in the viewpoints of the people around them had decreased. Indeed, this lack of trust shows as liberals and conservatives find themselves pitted against each other more often.
During the government shutdown beginning in 2018, democratic political strategist Jim Manley commented, “Both sides have gone out of their way to tell anyone that’ll listen [that] they want a compromise, but so far neither side has budged off their talking points.”
For young adults, constant exposure to the online community has grown significantly in the past decade, which has resulted in exposure to racial discrimination.
Psychologist Brendesha M. Tynes writes in an article by the American Psychological Association that “social media often requires users to reveal their identities, and in doing so can make individuals more susceptible to experiencing racial discrimination”. The option to comment ‘anonymously’ allows people to express discriminatory opinions without serious backlash, encouraging the instinct of acting before thinking.
This is a practice often exemplified in media scandals, where online influencers and celebrities garner the attention received during these public incidents, and it’s become almost routine to see a frenzy of posts pertaining to celebrity drama, many times in a staged attempts to gain followers. In May, beauty influencer, James Charles, fell under heavy accusations from a Youtuber, Tati Westbrook, as she claimed that he not only betrayed her trust, but assaulted and harassed her husband. Immediately following the accusations, fans and fellow influencers began pointing unsubstantiated fingers at Charles, as he lost “1 million subscribers on Youtube overnight” while Westbrook gained a similar amount according to Forbes magazine.
It was not until Charles uploaded his own explanation that the public began to recognize his side of the story, bringing into light the stress that could have been avoided if people had not leapt to accusations.
Rather than using media as a wedge to drive into our differences, it’s time we started using it as a means of understanding both sides of the story in order to bridge the divide.
Everywhere we look from our newspapers to the tabloids, people seem more interested in taking immediate action than stopping and analyzing first. However it is not until we stop criticizing others and begin basing our reasoning on facts that we can truly solve issues at hand.
We as U.S citizens may be entitled to freedom of expression, however we must remember that “United we stand, divided we fall”. If we are to continue on this hateful and accusatory path, our nation will suffer the consequences.
