Beyond the Keyboard: Fighting for Truth in a Vitriolic World

My friends, the vast majority of Americans are thoroughly fed up with the political vitriol that plagues our nation today.

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, almost two in three Americans feel utterly exhausted at the mere thought of politics.

Let that sink in: just thinking about our nation's government and the impact it has on our lives drains the average American's energy reserves.

On one hand, we all need to put on our big boy (or big girl) pants and confront this problem like adults. President Reagan warned us that freedom is always just one generation away from extinction, and it's our duty to pass it onto the next generation.

However, there are numerous other reasons why people are worn out by the nonsense in our nation.

Political corruption is rampant.

Media propaganda is out of control.

Governmental malpractice is spreading like wildfire under the current administration.

And this just scratches the surface.

But, in many ways, the interpersonal vitriol in today's political discourse may be the quickest way to drain someone's energy and hope.

And few places are more vitriolic in today’s world than social media.

The Social Media Phenomenon

Let me give you a sample of some comments directed at yours truly on social media recently:

"[You're] stupid and dishonest, not conservative."

"Tell the whole story, dummy."

"You imbeciles will believe anything."

"You lying POS."

To be clear, this doesn't bother me. I know these comments say more about the people writing them than about me.

My identity is rooted in Christ. I am who God says I am, not who some radical and ill-mannered social media tough guys claim. It all rolls off my back like a duck, my friends.

But I also understand that the average person doesn't want to play by these rules.

What makes the social media landscape even more disturbing to the average person is the number of people who openly defend evil there. I've seen more people (many likely bots) defending Hamas and terrorism in the past few weeks than I'd care to admit.

And the amount of profanity on social media platforms would make a sailor blush.

Friends, this is the way it is. I'm not lamenting it; I'm simply acknowledging it.

Personal Contact Changes Everything

Have you noticed that in many cases, when these keyboard warriors step out from behind their anonymity and usernames, the game changes?

Social media can be an absolute gutter today, regardless of the platform. Like most other tools or platforms, social media isn't inherently good or bad. It depends on how the users choose to utilize it.

When I invite some of these tough guys to come on the show and have a discussion with me (as I've done on a few occasions), the bravado disappears.

Sometimes, just responding to them causes them to backtrack.

I've even had some apologize to me over social media.

While that can be mildly shocking, it’s also a good start to combatting the vitriol. 

But the more personal the connection, the less likely the encounter is vitriolic. 

In fact, the emails, phone calls, and face-to-face encounters I've had with those who disagree with me are infinitely more pleasant than what I typically encounter on social media.

So while it's true that human decency has taken a turn for the worse in recent years, it's not time to give up hope just yet. It may be close, but we’re still in the fight!

The Battle over the Narrative

The real battle being fought in this country today is the Battle for Truth, which is at the core of the Cold Civil War I've talked extensively about on our daily radio show and podcast.

So it should come as no surprise that one of the most common causes of contention in today's political discourse is the battle over what's actually true.

I'm amazed at how many people cannot distinguish between an opinion and a definitive truth claim. 

For example, I believe that President Bribery is responsible for the Afghanistan debacle in August of 2021. I believe he's responsible for leaving the country in disarray. I believe he's responsible for the weapons that made their way into the Taliban's hands. And, if reports are accurate that these weapons made their way into the hands of Hamas, he's responsible for that too.

When I share this opinion with Leftists, some respond by saying that I'm lying.

Lying? It's my opinion, based on the information I've been provided and discovered through research. Perhaps I'm wrong - though that's almost certainly impossible! But to say I'm lying about the opinion I've formed is beyond bizarre.

Many people have simply abdicated their responsibility to think for themselves to the media, the government, or society at large. I don't do that. And neither do you.

We form opinions that can be supported by reality, truth, and the information we can access and analyze. 

Perhaps, on very rare occasions of course, we are wrong in our judgments and opinions. But if our opinions are sincere, we certainly aren’t lying. 

Either way, engaging with sophists who take this tack is an absolute waste of time.

We have to accept that some people simply do not want anything to do with truth. 

Pearls before Swine

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the crowd, "Do not cast your pearls before swine."

While this is not intended to be a full study of that statement, suffice it to say that we shouldn't be engaged in making a sincere effort to present and explain truth to those who are only interested in mocking, ridiculing, and misrepresenting it.

Fortunately, that term only applies to a portion of the people we may encounter today. Admittedly, it's a larger number of people than I would like it to be, but we can't focus on those who are simply not candidates to hear the truth.

Instead, we should focus with laser-precision on those who are ready to respectfully hear and engage with us.

Survival of the Republic

My friends, we are engaged in a great battle for the survival of our republic. And we must make a choice, while we still have the opportunity to make it.

We can choose to run off to our respective echo chambers in search of clicks and 'atta boys' from the proverbial choir, making no meaningful impact whatsoever. We can choose to run to the sidelines and sit out the most consequential moment in modern American history. Or we can choose to do the hard work required to save this great republic.

America is absolutely worth saving, my friends. But the heroes in this story are those who choose to engage. To act. To move. Are you going to live in the angry echo chambers, watch from the sidelines, or actively engage in the community to make a real impact?

Americans are searching for the truth. They're looking for answers. Will you step up and meet their needs while we still have the time to act? Or will you, as Reagan warned, "spend [y]our sunset years telling [y]our children and [y]our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free?"

Conservative, not bitter.
Todd