Friday, May 29, 2020

Conversation with a (Non-Trump-Supporting) Christian Republican Friend: Both Things Can Be True



We don't agree on everything, but we DO agree on the unprovoked of George Floyd , and that there's too much power abuse and racism in this country.

(I have put in parentheses things I didn't actually say, at the time, which I added to clarify my meaning or expound upon.)


My friend: "I think there are good cops and bad cops and plenty in between. But there ARE cops who are racist and abuse their power and they need to be dealt with and not above the law themselves. But I don't know who to trust in the press anymore, they're all owned by corporations, etc."

Me: "Agreed about press and especially social media, I think that's true. I think we all struggle with that."

My Friend: "Someone at my church was saying they're all corporate owned, who are controlled by Deep State? "

Me: "Well, I think it depends on our definition of Deep State.


(Because both sides of politics can play that card, now, when it comes to federal government abuse and coverups.)


Me:  "IMO, if there is a Deep State, Trump's a part of it, deflecting off himself like he's not and combating it - and for some reason, people keep buying it. 
Because the fact is, Trump is a wealthy, powerful CEO himself, who is on public record as having donated to both sides of politics, when it benefited him.

(In fact, he was close friends with the Clintons himself, up until the last election. I mean, the Clintons were at his wedding to Melania, and there are pictures to prove it, dating back to articles from before he was President, dating back to the actual press announcements on the day of his wedding).



Me:  "Fox News is totally White House Controlled, they're his mouthpiece." 

"So I think both things can be true ...


Press is controlled by the political leanings of whatever wealthy and powerful individual or organization owns them.


- AND -


Trump is a wealthy, powerful CEO and government official himself - who vilifies the press if they so much as lightly criticize him. That's a communist tactic."

I mean, look at what Trump just did to Joe Scarborough - he accused Joe of murdering a political aid, via Twitter. 
THAT was the actual impetus for Twitter cracking down on dysinformation on Twitter versus what right-wing press is saying. They left that tweet alone, but from that day forward, began cracking down with warning labels.  
They didn't block him, just added warning labels.

The widower came out himself and said his wife dropped dead of a previously undetected congenital (from birth) heart abnormality, idiopathic cardiomyopathy.

Her widower also said the family has been retraumatized by this event and Trump dug up her death, twisted it and used it against Joe, simply because Joe criticized his presidential actions.



(What are we gonna have to do, dig up the poor woman 20 years after the fact to prove Trump a liar? He says things like this, without any proof whatsoever, knowing you'd have to literally dig up someone to prove them murdered, if you even could after this long.)  


(Crazy accusations he knows you can neither prove nor disprove - but lack of evidence does NOT mean either guilt or innocence. I could say Trump worships Satan, but we have no proof or disproof of that - just because I said it, and keep saying it, doesn't mean it's true). 


Me: "It's just like you said, there are good cops, bad cops, and plenty in between. The same is true with press. There are some good reporters and press, some not, and plenty in between or who just make mistakes or lack training (or didn't use their training).

Thus it's on us to put on our critical thinking caps and be more discerning, both intellectually and spiritually, when viewing information:

1) Has this source of information, either as individual or organization - proven to you personally that they possess honesty and integrity at least 95% of the time - who has nothing to personally gain by sharing this information?

2) If so, is it possible they're wrong, made a mistake,  misperceived something, whether honest mistake or intentional, or that they have, over time, become too biased  and were inappropriately influenced themselves, in this political climate?

3) Is this subjective opinion disguised as objective fact - are they providing any proof at all or just making accusations?

4) If they are even attempting to provide proof - what kind of proof?

5) Are they providing FULL video evidence or PDF documents to support their quotes and claims, or is this subjective opinion disguised as fact?
And then we have to be spiritually discerning - if something seems off or missing, doesn't sit right with our soul (after checking ourselves for intellectual/belief bias) - then it probably is.


(And if it's delivered in a nasty, hateful, name-calling Twitter tirade, making accusations without any proof at all? Well, it doesn't take a priest or prophet to discern that something is spiritually amiss, if nothing else ;)










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