Debate or sound bites
I have been blessed since I was quite young to have mentors who guided me. At times my immature mind heard sage perspectives as attacks. Often, it seems, it was only later that I was able to open to the new perspective As a young man, I did not understand that my self esteem and worth did not depend on “knowing” something. I now shutter to think how often I missed an opportunity to learn.
I am not skilled at debating in the moment. I admire those folks who can do so. It seems to be that debating requires the ability to quickly suspend one’s beliefs or opinions while actively listening to the beliefs or opinions of another person or group. This requires that one first listen with the goal of hearing the other person. Too often I notice I am not actively listening. i am thinking of how to defend my position even while the other person or persons is still talking. I now know hearing requires that I am actively listening and considering what the other person is saying. Unless I do this I will then hear myself saying things that are not reflective of what I actually believe . My friend Barbara will then remind me that I am speaking in sound bites. Sound bites involves throwing out discounting words or phrases intended to act as bullets with a soft point which spread out when it hits the target. Sound bites are intended to strike down what they other person is saying. They are not intended to offer additional information or perspectives. Sound bites do not invite a conversation or suggest a shared reality. Sound bites are:
• Attacks on character or intelligence
• Appeal to the emotions.
• Are neither true nor false; are often tautologies
• Create good headlines instead of carefully thought out analysis
• Do not allow for the possibility of alternate opinions or facts.
It is easy to use sound bites to respond to sound bites. Young children who have not had the opportunity to develop a solid base of self esteem or to articulate a point of view often use sound bites such as dummy, bully, race based words, gender based assignations, physical threats or words meant to question one heritage. Teachers, parents and others are responsible for teaching or building self esteem so children are not so vulnerable to attempts to feel better than or more than. Sadly, it seems easy for us adults to fall back into this immature mode of relating to each other. We now have access to instant and continuous so called news coverage. Many of us have access to many so called news sources: television, the internet, the radio, print and even Alexa or Google assistant. Much of this news coverage is designed to appeal to what makes sound bites handy and even popular. Many of us can mistake such sound bites delivered by seemingly personable, bright, attractive, and educated looking individuals for information or facts. These individual may, in fact, have all those qualities, but are compelled to deliver what can be absorbed in an instant/on the run. There are, of course, those individuals who continue to be investigative reporters but making a living as such is not easy. Many of us also find ourselves too busy, too tired or too overwhelmed to read or listen to the reports of these investigative reporters.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we should be better educated and more articulate on the all the events and issues behind the sound bites. This is not possible for any of us. There may be those who have much more reading time than I do. There may be those who are speed readers and can absorb, analyze and integrate a great deal of information on a daily basis. Most of us, however, can absorb only a tiny bit of new information in a day.
It seems to me that every mentor i have respected and treasured was “specialized” offering to teach me about one subject or more likely a tiny slice of that subject. They were individuals who found it comfortable and easy to say that they could not have a cogent debate or discussion about a wide variety of issues. For today, I can practice being truthful with myself and others about the fact that I am not and never will be well educated on a wide variety of topics.
Written June 22, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
I have been blessed since I was quite young to have mentors who guided me. At times my immature mind heard sage perspectives as attacks. Often, it seems, it was only later that I was able to open to the new perspective As a young man, I did not understand that my self esteem and worth did not depend on “knowing” something. I now shutter to think how often I missed an opportunity to learn.
I am not skilled at debating in the moment. I admire those folks who can do so. It seems to be that debating requires the ability to quickly suspend one’s beliefs or opinions while actively listening to the beliefs or opinions of another person or group. This requires that one first listen with the goal of hearing the other person. Too often I notice I am not actively listening. i am thinking of how to defend my position even while the other person or persons is still talking. I now know hearing requires that I am actively listening and considering what the other person is saying. Unless I do this I will then hear myself saying things that are not reflective of what I actually believe . My friend Barbara will then remind me that I am speaking in sound bites. Sound bites involves throwing out discounting words or phrases intended to act as bullets with a soft point which spread out when it hits the target. Sound bites are intended to strike down what they other person is saying. They are not intended to offer additional information or perspectives. Sound bites do not invite a conversation or suggest a shared reality. Sound bites are:
• Attacks on character or intelligence
• Appeal to the emotions.
• Are neither true nor false; are often tautologies
• Create good headlines instead of carefully thought out analysis
• Do not allow for the possibility of alternate opinions or facts.
It is easy to use sound bites to respond to sound bites. Young children who have not had the opportunity to develop a solid base of self esteem or to articulate a point of view often use sound bites such as dummy, bully, race based words, gender based assignations, physical threats or words meant to question one heritage. Teachers, parents and others are responsible for teaching or building self esteem so children are not so vulnerable to attempts to feel better than or more than. Sadly, it seems easy for us adults to fall back into this immature mode of relating to each other. We now have access to instant and continuous so called news coverage. Many of us have access to many so called news sources: television, the internet, the radio, print and even Alexa or Google assistant. Much of this news coverage is designed to appeal to what makes sound bites handy and even popular. Many of us can mistake such sound bites delivered by seemingly personable, bright, attractive, and educated looking individuals for information or facts. These individual may, in fact, have all those qualities, but are compelled to deliver what can be absorbed in an instant/on the run. There are, of course, those individuals who continue to be investigative reporters but making a living as such is not easy. Many of us also find ourselves too busy, too tired or too overwhelmed to read or listen to the reports of these investigative reporters.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we should be better educated and more articulate on the all the events and issues behind the sound bites. This is not possible for any of us. There may be those who have much more reading time than I do. There may be those who are speed readers and can absorb, analyze and integrate a great deal of information on a daily basis. Most of us, however, can absorb only a tiny bit of new information in a day.
It seems to me that every mentor i have respected and treasured was “specialized” offering to teach me about one subject or more likely a tiny slice of that subject. They were individuals who found it comfortable and easy to say that they could not have a cogent debate or discussion about a wide variety of issues. For today, I can practice being truthful with myself and others about the fact that I am not and never will be well educated on a wide variety of topics.
Written June 22, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
Coachpickett.org
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