The art of understanding discussions

The most obvious and poignant example of not being able to discuss anything (reasonably or otherwise) is American politics today. I don't want anyone thinking I'm picking on the Americans in particular, but what they are showing the world these days is downright embarrassing.

When seen from the outside, all one notices is that two sides have crystallized which are, beneath the surface, surprisingly similar (invested with corporate influence, overtly oppressive, violent, undemocratic, hypocritical, power-obsessed, disrespectful of human rights ... the list goes on), but on the surface portrayed as diametrically opposed. When that organization that is allegedly representative of the people pass certain legislation, say, health care legislation, and the other side tries to repeal it 40 times, you have to ask yourself what the real issue is. When you have religiously questionable beliefs being passed off as reasonable arguments in a discussion, you have to ask yourself if these people are of sound mind. When you have tenets of a particular religious faith being presented in opposition to sound scientific evidence, and when you have the full-scale denial of scientific evidence because it doesn't fit in with what you want to be true, well, then you don't have much basis for any kind of discussion about anything anymore. This is no longer reasoned discussion or debate, this is childish misbehavior.

Oh, I don't think it would bother me, or the rest of the world, so much if Americans weren't so willing to take their current brand of incoherency a-peddling. There are issues that need to be discussed, such as climate change, capitalism, the financial system, globalization, the role of corporate influence, the role of national sovereignty, war, crime, aggression, human rights, just to name a few, but what we have, increasingly, is a situation in which no reasoned discussion; that is, no reasonable search for real solutions, is possible.

This infantilism that American politics embodies is spreading elsewhere. It apparently has no trouble trickling down. It is becoming increasingly difficult to talk to, let alone debate anything with others. Of course, I'm speaking of my own personal experience, but I don't think I'm all that different than most people. Who is actually willing to engage an opponent's ideas? Who is willing to read or consider "the other side's" positions? Who still wants to be reasonable about anything?

I'm very fortunate in that I still have a few friends and people with whom I discuss things that are tolerant enough to consider something other than what's in their own heads. How often have you heard statements like "Oh, you read that in The Nation/The American Conservative, well why would you believe anything written in that rag?" How many folks criticize Adam Smith but have never read him? How many reject Marx outright, but have never read him? How many people do you know who are willing, and able, to follow an extended argument ... say, something longer than a Tweet or a Facebook post ... and who can contribute to the discussion?

My hope lies in the fact that I know there are some folks who still can. My worry is that there aren't enough of them to end up making a difference. How many of you still think you can? How many of you want to make a difference?