Alienation is harming
our communities
Where once we nurtured strong bonds with family, friends and neighbors, now we tiptoe around what we say to one another or avoid some people altogether. This alienation is so harmful in our communities.
I think we can all agree that it’s due to exaggerated (and downright hysterical) political and religious lines being drawn. Attempted discussion often devolves into a resentful stand-off.
When someone says,”You’re wrong. I’m right”, viable discussion effectively ends. Unfortunately, our media plays into cultivating this egocentric mentality by glorifying “winning” an argument with one-upmanship. Believing you’re “smart” for holding a certain opinion or choosing a particular candidate is an ego boost.
When a person insists that their “facts” are true (but yours aren’t), it becomes literally impossible to discuss the difference between fiction and fact. That’s because we now live in an age where a “fact” is any information you can get people to believe.
So pseudo-commentators and devious politicians can lie with a straight face, spin innuendos and skew data. People will swear that they’re basing their opinion on “facts” they’ve heard; without any of the skills necessary to identify the persuasive methods, diversionary tactics or emotions being used to manipulate rational thinking.
Have you ever been in the middle of what you thought was a civil conversation and someone suddenly erupts into a verbal attack? That’s because a brain that’s been baited with negative emotions is a time bomb waiting to “explode”.
We can thank morally irresponsible media, politicians and the Internet who use “free speech” as justification for inciting hate and anger. What do they care that language resulting in harmful consequences to others carries legal liability? In fact, they feel smug that their lawyers will help them get away with hurting innocent people; especially since the average person doesn’t have the money to sue them.
You’ve probably encountered the anti-government attitude. No amount of academic knowledge, statistical data or factual evidence to the contrary can dissuade that person from their suspicious assumptions. Conspiracy theories flourish and paranoia abounds. (“They’re coming to take away our rights and our guns.”) Libertarian groups, the NRA and radical right-wing Republicans have been using the media to subliminally embed such fear into mainstream thinking for decades.
I’m no psychologist. But as demonstrated by the rise in suicides and mass-killings, the stress of alienation and fear is at an all-time high. There are many reasons why we’re not talking to one another. But there are many more reasons why we should be.
Martha Hodges
Kailua-Kona
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Whose kuleana is it?
I would like to address the Waipio Valley Road issue and whose “kuleana” is it to maintain the safety of the road. Who is responsible for monitoring who comes and goes?
Are there consequences for those who travel up and down the road with no four-wheel drive and no knowledge of the “right of way” policy? As a kanaka with a lineage that traces back to the valley, I have been down there two times in my entire life. For fear of the steep dangerous trek and out of respect for those who do reside there. I often wonder who is in charge of the roadway. DOT? The county? And why has it taken over 60 years for this issue to be addressed? The Peace Corps are the ones who originally paved that road to help the residents be able to have access in and out of the valley.
The mayor has the power to make a decision about the road that the county has not maintained. The police are not there when there are tourists taking their rental cars down a four-wheel-drive road with no knowledge of the dangerous situations they are causing. There should be consequences. Or perhaps a county-employed guard to monitor the traffic. Charge people to go down like they charge people at Hanauma Bay. Make sure tourists are properly informed about the area and offer shuttle service for a fee. The proceeds can go to maintaining the road and making improvements.
Again, I ask whose kuleana is it? I admire the residents that are trying to fight this the best way they know how. E ala E!
Vera Ohumukini
Hilo
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