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Who benefits from a divided America?
Viewed from the relative calm of Maui, the country seems to be picking sides in ways that leave little room for compromise. Was the schism there all the time or are other forces driving this split? We grew up believing that "Liberty and Justice for All" and the "American Dream," were more than aspirational concepts. They were guidelines for our government and society. The mantras spouted over the airwaves these days lean more toward, "You're either for or against me."
Who benefits from this abandonment of America's ideals?
It has been widely reported that foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, have programs to disseminate misinformation on our internet. What a cheap and effective tool to infect everything from elections to democracy itself. We'd like to think our government is working its tail off to shield us from such cyberattacks. Short of pulling the plug, however, it would be impossible to debunk every bogus conspiracy theory and plug every rabbit hole of disinformation.
We can expect other countries to probe for and exploit our weaknesses. There will also be homegrown snake oil salesmen and zealots who sow discord and create mischief.
America's frontline defenses against such threats have long been quality education and the availability of reliable sources. We were taught to be wary if something sounded too good to be true, to measure twice and cut once when it came to accepting the words of blowhards and braggarts. Teachers, scientists and journalists were sworn to provide us with the unvarnished truth as best they could. These truths were supported by verified facts and eyewitness accounts, not beliefs or opinion.
The blurring of this line between fact and opinion plays a major role in America's great divide. Forget bad actors both foreign and domestic, these wounds are primarily self-inflicted by politicians and the television networks that cover them. We hate when all journalists are lumped into blanket indictments against the media. Most reporters and editors hold themselves to strict codes of ethics. Quality journalism is a bulwark of democracy. It exposes corruption and holds wrongdoers accountable no matter their status or affiliation.
Somehow, as cable networks developed the 24-hour news cycle, it became acceptable to insert opinion into news reportage. The same with talk radio. Before long, cable networks were shaping their coverage to support one political party over the other. Sadly, the cornerstone of the business model is stoking anger, distrust and outrage. Fear and loathing sells more ads than milquetoast stories about Americans working together to find equitable solutions that move the country forward.
We can only imagine the impact deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence will have in a world already awash in biased coverage and alternative facts. Americans won't know who or what to believe.
Who benefits from that?