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I regularly watched The Daily Show when Jon Stewart hosted it the first time and would listen to Al Franken and other shows on Air America. They would often point out the spin and obfuscation (doublespeak) the right would conduct. I developed a lay understanding of what to watch for and began to see how the narrative was spun. However, having learned the underlying form rather than just the specific examples I began to see the same patterns and behaviors from left leaning sources. I lost a basic trust that what I was hearing was an accurate picture so I began to listen more broadly and am coming to see more and more that pretty much no one gives a truly accurate and honest picture of reality. My attitude now is that most points of view have something worthwhile to contribute as well as inherent and relatively unavoidable biases. To really get an accurate picture requires a collective, at times collaborative and at other times conflictive, effort. What people often call our sense making institutions such as science and journalism at their best rely on.

Essentially its all doublespeak to a mild or major degree and it requires a collective effort of diverse, good faith views to gain a less wrong picture of the world.

@person, do you think it is worthwhile to acquire this nuanced understanding of the American right for a left-leaning European? My understanding of even Dutch politics is pretty sketchy, and I’m wary of just wading in.

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