Reject the Rage-Bait This Thanksgiving
Politicians and the media profit from your division. Embrace the Non-Aggression Principle and enjoy time with your family and friends.
While out shopping yesterday, I saw locals as well as people here on vacation, all getting along swimmingly. Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and on our screens, the media tries to paint a completely different story. Have you seen these insane headlines, like “How to survive dinner with your crazy uncle or your woke niece”? The media doesn’t take a vacation from its attempt to create discord in our society. We’ve seen this narrative play out over the last few years, and frankly, I find it offensive, especially since it is completely false.
That narrative is a complete lie, designed to catch our eyeballs, riveted to their false story so they can profit from your click. They make us look like monsters, hating one another, having little to nothing in common. Generally speaking, the MSM is horrible.
The reality shows a very different picture! A survey of 20,000 Americans revealed that the vast majority agree on the core principles of our “free society.” Almost all of us believe political violence is unacceptable, and we all benefit from a diverse society. However, the media has been conditioning us to dehumanize the “other side” and view our neighbors with suspicion.
If you’ve ever heard of Public Choice Theory, here’s a perfect example. Politicians and media conglomerates are incentivized to amplify the voices of the angriest 20% of the population. Conflict generates clicks, and fear generates votes. If we use our critical thinking skills, we would actually agree on the Non-Aggression Principle—the idea that we shouldn’t initiate force against one another—the state would lose its justification for meddling in our lives. It is not only a libertarian principle, but also an ethical one.
We should be able to have conversations about politics (which, BTW, is force), while understanding we are having a voluntary dinner together with family and/or friends. Tomorrow, the family or friend sitting across from you may have voted for the “wrong” candidate, but likely agrees with you that violence is bad, that kindness is good, and that they just want to be left alone to flourish.
Do not let the media distract you with anecdotal headlines and focus on what we all agree on, whether you’re a Statist or an anarco-capitalist; we have avenues where we meet. If we can voluntarily agree to peace and mutual respect at the dinner table, what justification is left for the State to aggressively interfere in our voluntary choices, from the goods we buy?
Happy Thanksgiving, from the Sunshine State.
