We are witnessing the breakdown of society in the United States and too much of the western world. We only must watch the vitriol following the assassination of Charlie Kirk at a campus in Utah. Charlie cris-crossed the United States debating students about his beliefs and those of students. To say that Kirk’s beliefs were middle of the road would be to sugarcoat his message. Today he is being treated as a martyr. It is unfortunate that we find the United States so divided and much of Canada divided.
Utah State Governor Spencer Cox laid much of the blame on social media. I must agree with him. Legislatures around the world have given social media the right to distribute all manner of claims. They do not have to be accurate. They do not have to be honest. They can be libellous. Yet the billionaire owners of these networks are held free of litigation under the banner of free speech. The corporations are not held to the same standard as newspapers, radio, television, magazines and book publishers.
Donald Trump brought forward a lawsuit on Tuesday against the New York Times and Penguin Books. The lawsuit, filed in Florida courts, is seeking $15 billion in damages alleging that articles produced by four New York Times reporters and published saying that Donald Trump was not suitable to run for president of the United States. The Penguin suit alleges that the book “Lucky Loser,” published during the campaign season, hurt Trumps reputation.
Yet Donald Trump on “Truth Social,” his social network, has been free to publish any number of hateful and libelous allegations against people he does not like. He can do that knowing full well that he can’t be sued for his actions and statements on that network. Elon Musk, the owner of “X,” has been divisive since the assassination by blaming the left and other groups.
Social media has been able to isolate people while being free to broadcast and distribute all forms of hate and division. It is unfortunate that neighborhoods that existed in the 50’s through the 1990’s and where friends gathered over fences and back yards have fallen prey to individual isolation. Social media has accomplished that simple trick to isolate people. The exchange of civil discourse and differing ideas between neighbors is disappearing.
To break down our barriers, we as individuals must begin by spending time learning who our neighbors are. We must respect our differences and differences of opinions. We must seek to understand our differences and seek opportunities to share ideas and goals. We must turn from isolation and call out those leaders who wish to divide us. It is a huge task.
