Opinion: Liberals and conservatives have forgotten how to disagree politely

To the editor: I have been beating the drum on trying to understand the other side for years. By being open to conservative grief and fear following the elections of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, I realized that both sides have high hopes and dramatic fears. I can take some of the current liberal doomsday projections with a grain of salt, along with the idea that Obama really was a Muslim who wanted to destroy the country. (“Liberals and conservatives have one thing in common: Zero interest in opposing views,” Opinion, Jan. 4)

I have found that I feel less “angry,” “unpleasant” or “lousy” when I control my exposure to reliably conservative sources via radio and TV. I think part of the problem is that out of politeness we have agreed to avoid touchy topics; we don’t get any practice in respectful disagreement that could lead to common ground.

It’s no surprise that this piece was written by psychology professors. As a clinical psychologist myself, I too wonder where the self protection of “motivated ignorance” will lead us. Ultimately, it won’t be to safety.

Wendy Knight Meier, Arroyo Grande

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To the editor: I was educated to believe that we are all rational beings. Present me with information, and I can use it to make a rational decision.

Over the last 30 years, researchers have shown that the “rational man” theory of how we act is not complete. Behavioral economics has challenged our way of interpreting how people process economic information. Much of the time we don’t make decisions rationally; rather, we make decisions emotionally and then use reason to back them up.

Politically and socially we now have the means to satisfy our emotional decision needs. With a quick Internet search we can find an article to match any conclusion we want to believe. The chosen article could be true or false; it does not matter. On Facebook, we might feel right at home agreeing with all the others who have a like mind.

We are becoming tribal, and that is not a good thing. Look at tribal societies around the world and tell me which one is succeeding as a nation.

Carl Jerris, El Cajon

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