“You are not my opinion, therefore you must be an evil person!” — Or how someone left the restaurant because she had a different opinion.
While we are moving in a more data-driven and more knowledge-based world, people seem to move back into a more mediavel behavior regarding the way they discuss and communicate.
A while ago I witnessed a discussion, where people where talking politics with names like Trump and Clinton flying around the table. I was ready for a good evening, but not soon after the discussion started, one of the participants of the discussion got up and left — a business dinner!
While years ago this would have been the beginning of a great discussion, with many opinions, heated arguments, loud conversations and beer and laughers at the end, today people seem not to be able to accept that others have different opinions.
But it could also be that people don’t understand that the world has become more knowledgeable and data-driven, while media has evolved towards a being-first mentality where all that matters is to be the first reporting it instead of telling the truth.
If you don’t believe me or think I am quoting Donald Trump, that’s not it. Read Trust Me, I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday.
Everything can be a lie. Maybe not a really lie, but a trick, so you believe something that isn’t there. For example my quote, it’s not George, but Denzel. But I gave you the option to think it was George. Did it work? Is it a lie?
Only a few years ago the discussions where about the unknown facts that nobody was able to look up on his phone mixed with opinions and personal beliefs.
Nowadays people can’t discuss about these things anymore, because they think, they know it. But that’s the illusion — in reality they usually don’t.
They usually get their information from a blog or a 160 letter entry on Twitter that just won’t give you the facts and knowledge you need to seriously inform yourself about a certain topic. You don’t believe me? You don’t need to. But more likely is you didn’t even make it till here….
