Q&A: Relating to the Other Side
Relating to the Other Side
Question
Hi,
It’s commonly thought that the right is narrow-minded, doesn’t take the other side into account, and is basically the non-thinking side. But my sense is that the opposite is true. When I read articles in Haaretz, I simply don’t see any attempt at all to seriously engage the other side; at most they mock what the other person is saying without even considering that maybe he has a real argument. It seems to me that the peak example I’ve seen in recent days is this article: https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/television/tv-review/2023-03-26/ty-article/.highlight/00000187-1a6f-d7c4-ab8f-fe6f11270000 The journalist asks questions that aren’t especially smart (I didn’t see the interview; I’m speaking based on what was quoted), attacks the interviewee, and the writer doesn’t even address the interviewee’s arguments at all (even though from the quotes it actually seems that he answered perfectly reasonably).
Do you agree that in fact it’s the left that doesn’t really think about the other side’s arguments and doesn’t truly engage in discussion at all?
Answer
Yes, exactly those kinds of distinctions are made on the other side as well. It’s the sort of sophistry that proves to each of us why we’re more right and smarter than everyone else.
This is an unbalanced generalization. I share the balanced view that most people are shallow, biased, and not especially smart. It’s true that Haaretz stands out on the issue of bias (it’s out in the open there), but it is definitely not the only one. Channel 14 is no better.
Discussion on Answer
Yes, exactly those kinds of distinctions are made on the other side as well. It’s the sort of sophistry that proves to each of us why we’re more right and smarter than everyone else.
It seems to me there’s a small difference. In Haaretz, these are the unintellectual people of the left; it’s the newspaper that, as far as I know, is considered the paper of academics and so on. Whereas Channel 14 is not considered the home of the intellectuals of the right, to put it mildly; the smart people on the right, as far as I know, are not on Channel 14. In other words, on the left the bias comes from the upper intellectual layer of society, whereas on the right it comes from the less thoughtful layer (I feel like I just became a bit too politically correct).