Today's Political Discourse

Political Lenses Nothing a person thinks, says, or does is ever in its own pure form. Every second of every day a person’s view is tainted by a lens. When considering politics, what are the main factors that shape today’s political discourse? Merriam Webster Dictionary defines discourse as, “The use of words to exchange thoughts and ideas.” Simply put, discourse is another term for discussion. Everyone has encountered some form of political discourse in their life, but what sways those discussions? Three lenses that shape political discourse today are worldview, circumstances, and media. Nelson Mandela once stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The worldview a person obtains is often developed …show more content…
The conditions one is subject to tend to sway people to certain sides of politics. Today a few of the most popular topics are: unemployment, poverty, abortion, racism, and gun control. Though none of these “issues” can compare to the bombing of Pearl Harbor or The Great Depression, they definitely influence political discourse today. People born into or experiencing poverty would probably not be open to a conversation on cutting taxes with someone from the top one percent. We see circumstances affect discourse in the area of race. A white person can be suddenly shut down in political discussion because of a supposedly racist comment. Whether good or bad, all people analyze political discourse through the lens of their circumstances and decide what is most important to …show more content…
The three main factors that shape today’s political discourse are lenses one analyzes the world through. The first, worldview, is critical, in that, it is the foundation of all other lenses because it forms from a person’s academic and spiritual knowledge. The second lens, circumstances, curves the way people see politics depending on their current condition or past experiences. The final lens, media, is likely the most influential of all of the lenses because of this new age of technology the world is living in. Though the worldview one develops, circumstances one experiences, and media one is showered with are not something a person has much control over, one does have control over how it affects their discourse. People should strive to always remain gracious and hearing whenever discussing politics and always have a firm foundation to fall back on. “The one whose walk is blameless who does what is righteous; who speaks truth from their heart, whose tongue utters no slander; who does no wrong to a neighbor and casts no slur on others… He who does these things will never be shaken.” Psalms 15:1-5