30 Hours: Out Of My Element
For 30 hours covering the span of Sept 30th-October 1st, I immersed myself in social media that aligned with thought processes inherently the opposite of my own. I lived outside of my liberal filter bubble, in an echo-chamber leaning far right and ostensibly conservative. I noticed a bevy of things about both myself and — equally as intriguing — the social dialogue in the comment sections below posts and articles. I want to focus on how I felt while amidst unfamiliar territory and touch on the types of analyses I drew about the way we socialize.
During my stint in what I could only deem the trenches, I managed to focus on a specific piece of major news that means a lot to me personally. This news emerged over the course of my time amidst the far right: the Fair Pay to Play Act was signed in California enabling student athletes to make money off of their names, image and likeness, effective in 2023.
To much my chagrin, I had to turn to Breitbart for the latest scoop, and I expected biased reporting. Instead, what I found was interesting:
This wasn’t a misleading headline… but perhaps the body of the article was laden with fuel for the forest fire that is this echo-chamber:
Nope. Simple, accurate reporting with quotes and honest implication reporting. But here is where the conversation devolved into chaos: the comment section. This is where I heard every single stereotypical and shocking response in existence, both expected and unexpected elements of racism and ignorance of facts that were laid out clear as day.
Take this delicious screen shot and digest for a moment:
Somehow we see a suggestion that IQ level measurements are needed to be implemented to be eligible to play, articulating that leftism is to blame for the inability to have minor leagues. This is followed by I won’t fund universities any longer citing brainwashing in place of education, while pointing to the bogus degrees these kids are enrolled in. Then in the end we wrap up the circus with some good ole fashioned racist diatribe about immigrants, weight limits for cheerleaders.
I felt alienated and uncomfortable in my own skin to my very core from one article, and one comment section to the extent that I felt compelled to do an impromptu podcast rant on my Gin and Juice Podcast:
To be plain as can be, I was upset, I steered clear of social media for the rest of that evening. I thought to myself: “Do band members in the school band have the inability to sign a record deal if they so choose while in school?” It seems clear as day that this isn’t payment being disseminated from the schools to the students, this is rather the students being allowed to make money off of their name, image and likeness, an inalienable right that would seem about as capitalistic and democratic as can be on its surface.
Now I already am not an avid socialite, but I started to make connections specifically about the comment section. The left and right aren’t all that different: jumping to conclusions in lieu of rational thought in order to pander toward those who already think like you. No one is being converted or assuaged here. No conversation is being held in a forum with opposing views articulating themselves in a way that spurs discussion and forms new forward thinking ideals. Rather it is a hollow voice in an even hollower echo-chamber praying that their peers upvote their commentary.
In retrospect, I have grown a newfound appreciation for being who I am — a proud black man — in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have unearthed a privilege I never acknowledged I am the benefactor of: being black in an accepting country and cultural mosaic like Toronto has made racially charged soliloquies an extreme exception. I always knew the other side existed but hearing the shortsighted nature of jumping to conclusions in the face of objective fact is rampant and all too common in these mental arenas. I just feel as though exposure at a young and formative age can help quell these ideologies from being as pervasive as they are now, providing the ground work for a more accepting and tolerant future.
