This morning I wrote a long overdue email of gratitude. During undergrad, a brilliant professor (thank you Dr. Kelly) changed my way of thinking. Not what I thought, but how I thought. Fast forward twenty years and I am teaching my students this powerful two-word magic.
This lesson was a simple question that should be tattooed on the palm of every Fox News and Wall Street Journal reporter: “How so?” Dr. Kelly’s expectation was clear; make your point and support it. Your fledgling thought or opinion is a lovely start – now back it up.
To my mind, (nearly) every damn journalist, talking head, commentator, radio personality, blogger and snark-a-potomus in cyberspace needs to put on his or her big person underpants and sit down for a Dr. Kelly seminar. “How so” is becoming extinct. We are forgetting how to think critically. We are allowing the line between fact and opinion to blur too often; we do so at our peril. How so? Read on!
In today’s WSJ, a small sample of well-fed upper-middle class Colorado suburbanites were questioned about their support for President Obama in the 2012 election. “President’s Populist Pitch Divides Suburban Voters” As usual, individuals were allowed to make outrageous statements without supporting evidence or examples. No follow up questions and no “how so” queries were made by the reporter. If Ms. Nelson would have submitted this article to Dr. Kelly, the result would have been a simple (but dreaded!) notation: “See Me.”
Never mind that the headline presupposes its conclusion. That's editorial writing, not journalism, Skippy. The headline should have read "Is the President's Populist Pitch Dividing Suburban Voters?" Oh, right, Rupert. Never mind.
">http://online.wsj.com/...
Several of these “suburban voters” seemed to twist their angst and misinformation to fit neatly into their self-absorbed worlds. Once again, Mr. Obama is at fault. It is the new normal; if your life isn’t exactly as you envisioned it, blame the President.
If your taxes go up a we bit to ensure safe bridges can you skip the latte for the greater good or are you going to need a "lie down?" Come on Skip and Muffy - it's not that bad. Keep Calm and Carry On. You are paying less in taxes than your folks or grandparents did and they survived. Then again, they, and those in government during their time embraced the concept of shared sacrifice and could define social contract coherently, too. Perhaps it's because they had to take "Civics."
In the article, a certain family of four, making $200K, lamented the increase in their health insurance premiums. Clearly it was due to “Obamacare.” Clearly it had nothing whatsoever to do with Mr. $200K’s recent back surgery and associated costs. It had nothing to do with Mr.'s employer passing on more healthcare costs to its employees or the laundry list of exclusions, caps, provisos, put into place by the for-profit insurance company. Nope. It was Mr. Obama’s fault.
Maybe instead of blaming the President for premium increase and expensive out of pocket costs, the $200K family could volunteer with a single-payer advocacy group. No, it's much easier to be nice and warm, safe and dry in the McMansion and theorize about what the President really means when he uses the word “fairness.” I suspect Mr. & Mrs. are products of 1980’s culture.
At times, we children of the 80’s have a “me and mine/greed is good” streak. A streak our professors of the 60’s and 70's tried to metaphorically beat out of us, but it still surfaces at times; usually after college reunions or on 80’s nights when we haul out our parachute pants and Flashdance sweatshirts.
Judging from the comments posted at http://online.wsj.com Gordon Gekko, is alive and well – though the “you wouldn’t know Socialism if it bit you in the behind” comment was (unexpectedly) rather well received. There is hope.
The article continues with an (alleged) small business owner who thundered on about how Mr. Obama’s policies are preventing him from reinvesting in his business. This statement is crying for a “How so?” follow up question.
Either this guy has the worst accountant in Colorado or the accountant received a degree from Liberty University - or is that redundant? Is Centennial Park, CO near South Park, CO? Is there another reasonable explanation for this bizarre assertion? Did he hit his head?
The President’s actual policies have helped small business immensely. How so?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
To use another academic turn of phrase, Dear Mr. Colorado small business owner who hit his head, “How you like them apples?” If Mr. Hit His Head can't figure out how to reinvest he should get a new accountant, a new financial adviser, or ask one of his front line employees. He should stop blaming the President for his acute lack of business acumen.
Ms. Nelson and other journalists must understand that we, the intellectually honest media consumers, expect more than man-on-the-street thoughts and rants in print. It’s a sad day – or a telling day – when Mike & Mike on ESPN asks more thoughtful and probing questions of star athletes than political journalists ask of voters or candidates.
As campaign season heats up, please ask “How so?” Teach this nifty little magic phrase to your friends left, right, and center.
Perhaps these two little words are the best defense against the Rovian tactic of "If something is said loud enough and often enough, even the most untrue thing can become fact." (Donald Trump is living proof - we all believe that's his real hair and not a Star Trek tribble living on his head despite all evidence to the contrary...oh and that whole birth certificate thing)
Maybe “How So” can be a weapon of “mess” destruction!