Letter to the editor: Facts are facts

To the editor:

Social media should have been an immense platform for the advancement and exchange of ideas.

Instead, what I experience and witness every day are “political” discussions that never even get to a substantive level because people never come to an agreement on the foundation of the topic. In order to have a productive debate about these things, you first have to agree on the starting point. Presumably, this would be known as the facts.

But I can’t remember the last serious discussion I’ve had that actually got to that point. Instead, I experience a back and forth about what is truth. This is ludicrous when you consider that two people should be able to on any given topic agree on the basis of fact because facts are facts.

Sometimes the truth battle devolves into one side or both simply refusing evidence, possibly because it endangers their determined stance.

People in this country should be breathing a sigh of relief when someone like Hillary Clinton is found clear of responsibility in the Benghazi attacks (example). Instead, some don’t want to believe it. They do not accept this new fact. The facts they seek are the ones that justify their original position, a confirmation bias.

The facts are laid bare for all to see, but because of some strange wave of pride this basic foundation for constructive conversation and debate is lost. That is incredibly sad.