I have something to admit. I’m not proud of it and I know it causes harm. It’s harder than coming out was. It’s more difficult to say than “I am an Astros fan.”
Hi, I’m Rick and I watch internet slop.
There, I said it. I know it’s bad. I hate it too. But when someone makes a video of two dogs sitting on a couch laughing at internet videos, I’ll watch it every time. I even made one starring my own two dogs. I won’t admit how many times I’ve watched it because no one needs to tell anyone everything, at least that’s what my high school English teacher used to say.
If you are still reading, I appreciate the opportunity to redeem myself.
I think I enjoy these videos because they are silly entertainment in a medium where so much anger is spewed. For a few seconds, the dogs aren’t mad about politics. They aren’t calling each other names or declaring the end of civilization. They are just sitting on a couch laughing.
I’ll do my best to train my algorithm to ditch the slop and focus on jump scares and cute dog videos featuring actual dogs. I make no promises.
There is far too much anger on social media these days and far too much absolutism. Watermark Out News was recently the subject of some harsh tongue lashings — or would that be fingertip lashings? — over a story we published.
The arguments against us left out some important details, which made it easier for the negativity to spread. One commenter accused us of clickbait, which made me laugh. Really, no one is getting rich from 28 comments and 23 shares. We just report the news.
Social media makes it easy to paint a one-sided portrait. But for better or for worse, it is a necessary evil in the distribution of information, and information is the business we are in.
The problem is that social media rewards certainty, outrage and quick judgment. It encourages us to choose a side before we know the whole story and then defend that side long after new information becomes available.
This becomes more evident as election season approaches.
Primary elections are underway in our area and social media is filled with declarations about who is acceptable, who is a sellout and who has betrayed the cause. Support the wrong Democrat and suddenly you are responsible for everything wrong with America.
The primary is exactly where these debates should happen. It is where we examine records, challenge candidates and fight for the person we believe will best represent us. We should ask hard questions and expect candidates to earn our votes.
However, a primary shouldn’t become a purity test.
The Democratic Party is innately diverse. It includes progressives, moderates, labor unions, the LGBTQ+ community, communities of color, environmentalists, the right to choose advocates and many others. We may agree about the general direction in which the country should move, but we won’t always agree on how to get there.
That makes bringing everyone together difficult. It also makes it essential.
We have seen what happens when we don’t.
In 2016, Jill Stein received more votes in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania than Donald Trump’s margin of victory over Hillary Clinton. We can’t know how those voters would have voted if Stein wasn’t on the ballot. Some may have voted for Clinton, some for Trump and others may not have voted at all.
Still, the numbers should give us pause. Clinton wasn’t everyone’s ideal candidate. The result was a Trump presidency.
This isn’t about blaming third-party voters for everything that followed. Elections are more complicated than that. It is about recognizing that our choices have consequences and remembering that history repeats itself when we refuse to learn from it.
We should fight passionately for our preferred candidates during the primary. We should disagree, debate and demand better. But when the primary ends, we must be able to come together.
That doesn’t mean abandoning our principles or remaining silent when an ally disappoints us. It means recognizing the difference between an imperfect ally and someone actively working against our rights.
Social media doesn’t encourage that distinction. Social media wants every disagreement to become a betrayal and every imperfect person to become an enemy. It keeps us angry, divided and clicking. Apparently, that is better for business.
My dancing dogs may be internet slop, but political purity tests are far more dangerous.
We don’t have to agree on everything. We don’t have to love every candidate. But if we reject everyone who falls short of ideological perfection, we may once again find ourselves governed by people who agree with us on nothing.
In this issue of Watermark Out News, you will find our primary election coverage. Find out what those asking for your vote had to say on questions affecting our community. Who took the time to respond and who did not?
Stay visible, stay strong and support each other.
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