In the US and around the globe, there is a great deal of disagreement around things that are known to be true. Too many things are made political when they are simply factual. This lack of basic understanding around accepted core data is becoming a danger to democracy in the US and internationally.
We hear that climate change is a hoax. That COVID vaccines are part of some complex international conspiracy. That mass shootings are created or staged by the government to fuel efforts to take away everyone's guns. And so on.
Are you tired of arguing about things that are factually true? You're not alone.
Worse, it's becoming a division that is getting more serious in the USA. It turns into political and ideological drama that has major negative implications that waste effort, resources, and time. Consider climate change - discovered by Exxon in the 1970s, it has been an emotional debate for decades that's slipped into whether or not it's a hoax, and now that we've confirmed its reality, we're feeling the time loss as we can see climate change impacts in real time. Unnecessary drama. The data was there all along, and the picture was clear by the 1990s and 2000s.
Or, consider someone running for president saying, "I'm gonna drill!, drill, drill" [for oil]. The year is 2024. The implication is that the current president is not drilling for oil. The data, however, shows very clearly that US oil production started in increasing after GW Bush green-lighted fracking, and Obama ran with it - US oil production started climbing around 2010 and kept going until a global glut in 2016, then grew again until the pandemic in 2019. Then, in 2020, it started climbing back again, to the current record-breaking levels we saw late in 2023, into 2024 where today US oil production is higher than ever. The drama is "We're not drilling enough oil!" The data-backed reality is "We're drilling more oil than we ever have" (whether a person views that as good or bad is a different debate). So a person that pays attention to the data avoids the drama of yelling about a problem that doesn't exist, and avoids being controlled by things that aren't true. Recognizing basic facts keeps us on track as a nation. It helps us to debate issues that actually exist in real life. This is not even about politics - it's just recognizing if something is an independently verifiable fact or not.
A strong USA is based on reality, not conspiracy. That's why the US flag is on most of these shirts (a microscope is on another design). I can love the USA and understand that climate change is a real thing, or that gun violence is something we can learn about and minimize without taking away everyone's guns. Too often the flag is used to symbolize one point of view over others, and as of late that view is often not based on reality. I love my country - and I can see reality. I will not be told that my choice is between reality and my country, because it isn't. That's a false choice. The flag is for every US citizen.
We're not going to get anywhere just blaming people for ridiculous arguments. We need to collectively focus on real-life actual data when we form and debate core concepts - all of us, regardless of political affiliation. This will become more and more important as our world gets more complex and more easily annihilate-able as our technologies mount up.
Average citizens like you and I can stay informed by consuming a range of media sources such as various mainstream media, public media, industry publications (oil, medicine, science, business, etc.), documentaries and so on. We can use reality-based measures to validate a source. For example, if we question a vaccine, we can go to dependable sources of information on the topic for information. You could triangulate information from the CDC with WHO for example, as these organizations consistently and daily work to minimize disease with proven results. You can add in proven journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and compare what they say to even more sources like leading international medical universities and the American Medical Association. These originations create the medical procedures that can save your life when you wind up in the ER after a car accident or a heart attack - so if they deliver results like that and you know you'll go to an ER if your life is in danger, then you can give weight to what they say about a vaccine.
If we keep ourselves curious and educated and always learning and sharing that knowledge, we stand a much better chance of success as a nation and as a species globally. Do you agree? Share the concept with this T-shirt! It could be a catalyst for some productive discussions with those around you.
Thank you
Kevin