Political scientist Ray Block says the “decline of truth” is corrupting our politics and public debate. Bullock was the keynote speaker this week at the WhisPolitics “Polling Summit” held at the Madison Club, where polling committees discussed trends for the 2024 election. (Key point: no one knows who will win.)
Bullock warned that “we are in an alarming situation” as misinformation and misinformation undermine election integrity and trust in public institutions. “Lies kill democracy,” he said. If people cannot debate in good faith, public trust, community cohesion, and ultimately all democratic institutions will collapse.
Ray Block, Rand Corporation Senior Political Scientist
Mr. Block is the inaugural Michael D. Rich Special Committee Chair Against the Decline of Truth at the Rand Corporation. At the Institute, researchers for the first time began focusing on the degradation of truth in the current political and social media environment, as it poses a threat to the value of scientific and academic expertise. . After all, if facts don’t matter, research and hard-earned expertise loses value.
But Block and others have decided that the antidote to the painful polarization and sheer strangeness of the new political reality lies not in identifying experts or objective truths. Rather, he said, it is important to rebuild individual relationships between neighbors.
As he spoke, I was reminded of my suburban neighborhood, where President Trump and Harris signs bump into each other across sidewalks and driveways. How can we become friends again?
“You can’t ‘fix’ your way out of these problems,” Bullock said, noting, for example, that massive voter fraud changed the outcome of the 2020 election, but President Barack Obama didn’t. He spoke about the beliefs of some voters. Born in the United States. He added that there is no point in treating these harmful narratives as “wrong exam questions.” Instead, we need to understand how such misconceptions are tied to social identity and a shared sense of community, and do something to rebuild community among people with different perspectives. We must take action.
Block and his colleagues at Rand decided that the antidote to polarization and avoidance of facts was to rebuild civil society through individual acts of community engagement. He spoke about the urgency of preserving local news and urged people to get involved in local community-building efforts. Rand accomplishes this by hosting community conversations near its headquarters in Santa Monica, California. This event brings together people with opposing views to discuss and debate issues of concern. The goal, Block said, is to “get people used to the idea that they have to live together, even if they disagree.”
It sounds easy, but it’s not an easy task.
Closer to home, I saw a good model of what Brock was talking about at a holiday service at Chalei Shamayim, a Reconstructionist Jewish congregation in Madison that my family and I belong to.
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman led a conversation about the war in Gaza on Yom Kippur, the traditional Jewish day of mourning. She urged people to share their grief for those killed in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the hostages remaining in Gaza, as well as for the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed and displaced in the ensuing war. called out. “You’re going to hear things you don’t agree with,” Rabbi Rowley told congregants with conflicting views on Israel, Palestine and war.
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman | Photo by Congregation Shaarei Shamayim
During his Rosh Hashana sermon, Rabbi Rowley spoke about unpleasant conversations with family members who disagreed with him and his participation in a community forum in Gaza that escalated into shouting. In a humble and self-deprecating way, she related unsatisfactory conversations about the war with fellow rabbis. One of them bristled at her suggestion that children learn about the complexities of Israeli-Palestinian relations, including the history of oppression and injustice experienced by Palestinians. He argued that “children need to know which side they are on.” He said he skips the complicated stuff in his Sunday school classes and lets the children draw the Israeli flag.
“That’s not football,” complained Rabbi Laurie.
In community forums, she found herself on the other side, arguing fiercely with activists who argued that the October 7 rape and murder were justified. It was comparable to the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of Polish Jews during the Holocaust.
“The October 7 attacks and the war that followed may have created or unleashed deep polarization among families, friends, congregations, and the larger community,” Rabbi Laurie said. “It has caused people I know and love to say things that are false, conspiratorial, hateful, and devoid of the fundamental values we thought we shared.” By the time I heard that, the word had spread.”
Despite her discomfort, she continued these awkward conversations and encouraged the congregation to do the same, “not to find solutions, but to connect more deeply with each other.” Think deeply about the meaning of blood ties and the meaning of justice. It’s about being more committed to our deepest ideals. ”
It is to the credit of Rabbi Laurie, who endured these difficult encounters and persevered despite not knowing where they would lead, that the community of Shaarei Shamayim actually makes room for diverse voices. When people can talk to each other and maintain relationships despite deep disagreements, there is hope for peace and justice. This is a good model for all of us going forward.
As Bullock said, no matter who wins the election, “we won’t survive unless we find ways to work together.”
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