Think, Think, Rethink: How To Save Yourself And The World
In Chapter Eight ("You'd Better Think, Think, Think") of my memoir, I say: "Our failure to move, to engage in physical activity, can cause health problems and cost the country money in expensive healthcare, but think of the cost of mental inactivity. What has been the cost, for instance, of our inability to think clearly while voting? Two wars, one recession, millions unemployed, and the loss of the middle class." That passage was written more than five years before enough "real Americans" voted for a stupid, insane, racist white man to allow him to win the electoral college and start helping Putin to destroy our democracy. When I wrote that passage, a sane, intelligent, half-black man was trying to clean up the mess made by the stupid white man who occupied the White House at the beginning of this century. Two years after I wrote that passage, I started teaching on social media, trying to help everyone to learn how to think more clearly. But my efforts seem to be in vain. When I interact with people on Facebook and Twitter (I gave up on Google+ after the conservatives either blocked or ignored me) or watch news anchors, so-called experts, and commentators sound off on television, I'm often horrified by how little we've learned from what happened in 2000 and 2016. But as former Second Lady (possibly future First Lady) Jill Biden pointed out in her recent memoir, we teachers are hopeful, so I'm going to keep trying. Today I will list ten not so easy steps to clearer thinking and a better life for all of us.
1) Calm down. We not only need time and quiet to think, we also need calm. Some people are good in emergencies; they can think clearly during hurricanes or tornadoes, but most of us freak out and don't think as clearly. It's also hard to think during emotional storms. I've learned to stop talking if my emotions are triggered because I'm more likely to say something stupid and/or irrational. Demagogues like Trump appeal to our emotions, especially fear and anger, because they don't want us to think clearly.
2) Check your biases at the door before you start thinking. In two earlier posts (10/11/15, 3/26/17), I discussed why we believe what we believe and explained how our biases make it easier for us to believe false narratives and alternative facts. If we believe that big men are stronger than little women, we will believe that the weakest President ever is stronger than Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi. If we believe only white people are real Americans, we will believe that Obama was born in Kenya and that the four women of color who have become Trump's latest rally and Twitter targets are foreigners who hate America and should go back to their "shithole" countries.
3) Look for the sense behind the sound of words. In earlier posts (see 10/6/13 and 9/14/14), I discuss how we can be manipulated by language if we don't pay attention to the meaning of words. One effective assignment that I used, mostly in my basic writing classes, was to have students choose a well-known saying (often clichés) to explain and then either support or attack. They would discuss such popular sayings as "the early bird gets the worm" and "the best things in life are free." In my post-teaching life, I have often challenged people who claim to treat everybody the same, pointing out that they don't nor should they. If we don't treat old people the way we treat teenagers, geniuses the way we treat people with learning disabilities, or athletes the way we treat the physically disabled, why should we treat blacks the way we treat whites? We don't nor should we. Even if Trump has told his amusing critic Jim Carrey to go back to Canada (and he hasn't), he still shouldn't tell Representative Omar to go back to Somali because telling black, brown, or yellow people to go back to their homelands or the countries where their ancestors were born is racist.
4) To paraphrase a Ralph Ellison passage, look beneath the surface, not only of words, but also of actions. Do not be fooled by distractions or shiny objects. If something (like a free phone) sounds too good to be true, ask the question I asked in Radio Shack years ago, "What's the catch?" There is no free ride, so when politicians say, as Trump did and still does, "I can fix it. It's easy." don't vote for them. 2020 candidate Yang's $1000 for everyone sounds good, but what's the cost? What do we lose when we gain that guaranteed income, and why should Trump or Bloomberg get $1000 a month?
5) Be a contrarian. One false dichotomy that's created by sloppy users of language is the leader versus the follower choice. Most of us are somewhere in between. We sometimes lead and sometimes follow. We might join a group and then bring others in with us. However, we need to beware of being seduced or bullied by the crowd. Just because most people believe that racism is not American doesn't mean we have to believe that. Of course, it's a lie. America was built on racism. When Trump says, "everyone believes (or knows) that" or when he brags (i.e. lies) about the size of his crowds, he's appealing to our need to be like everyone else, to be part of the crowd. That need leads to lynch mobs, cults, and even mass suicides like the one in Jonestown.
6) Don't willingly suspend disbelief. Question everyone and everything. Be especially suspicious of the people who look or think like you. I'm more likely to be punked by a commentator on MSNBC than one on Fox (especially since I don't even watch Fox) or by a dark-skinned, elderly black woman than by a young, blue-eyed, blond white man.
7) Ask the right questions (see 7/27/14 post). Anyone who watches "Dateline," "48 Hours," or any of the other crime shows knows how important asking the right questions can be. In the current political situation, if we don't ask why white women and white evangelicals voted for Trump after they heard the pussy-grabbing tape, we might not understand why those brown children are still in cages and why masterful con artist Trump is attacking four attractive young women of color instead of Chuck Schumer or Adam Schiff.
8) Use whatever reliable tools you have available. When composition students were writing argumentative papers, including the ones in response to the popular sayings, I would tell them to draw on experience, observation, and (reliable) printed or other sources. One new saying that I've created is "Wisdom comes to those who wait." Older people who can learn from experience (some, like two of our recent Presidents, can't) tend to be wiser because they've had more experiences than their younger friends and family members. But we also might be clueless about newer technology and pop culture trends and personalities. That's when we need to observe and read. I'm less informed about technology than probably even the average senior, but I'm more informed about pop culture because I read PEOPLE and US every week.
9) Think defensively. Just as we need to drive defensively, watching for careless drivers who might switch suddenly into our lanes or speed through a red light, we need to beware of careless thinkers. There are the name-calling bullies--"idiot," "snowflake," "Nazi," "socialist"--, attacking the person instead of the argument. There are the straw man builders, who will revise our argument, making it weaker, sometimes even ridiculous, so that they can attack it more easily. And there are the definers who think they are the only ones who can determine what is patriotic, moral, racist, or American. Because I taught critical thinking for a living, I'm especially effective at pointing out logical fallacies. I just had to learn not to use technical terms like "ad hominem" (I now say "attack the person") when I moved from the English classroom to social media.
10 Rethink. Just as rewriting is as important (if not more) as writing, rethinking is as important as thinking. As anyone who watches crime shows or reads mystery novels knows, sometimes even the best detectives arrest the wrong suspect and miss the real killer who might be right in front of their eyes. We all make mistakes, and when we do, we must rethink. In 2016, most of us made the huge mistake of underestimating how much racism there is in this country. Even I, who was constantly pointing out racism and calling out fake colorblind white folks, didn't believe that Trump could win states like Florida and Ohio, which McCain and Romney lost, but Bush won, much less Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. But I immediately started rethinking after the unimaginable happened. What I say now is, "We don't know what Americans will do, how they will vote." We didn't think they would vote for Obama, but they did. And most of us thought Trump was a sideshow, a clown. Even when I realized he was dangerous (see 6/21/15 post), it wasn't because I thought he could convince millions of Americans to vote for him.
Clear thinking is not easy. Just like weight lifting and long distance running, it requires effort. But, unlike those optional physical activities, we have to think. If we are conscious, we are thinking. Unfortunately, too often we're not thinking clearly. To save ourselves and the world, let's start thinking calmly, objectively, independently, defensively, and clearly. And when we finish thinking, let's rethink.
1) Calm down. We not only need time and quiet to think, we also need calm. Some people are good in emergencies; they can think clearly during hurricanes or tornadoes, but most of us freak out and don't think as clearly. It's also hard to think during emotional storms. I've learned to stop talking if my emotions are triggered because I'm more likely to say something stupid and/or irrational. Demagogues like Trump appeal to our emotions, especially fear and anger, because they don't want us to think clearly.
2) Check your biases at the door before you start thinking. In two earlier posts (10/11/15, 3/26/17), I discussed why we believe what we believe and explained how our biases make it easier for us to believe false narratives and alternative facts. If we believe that big men are stronger than little women, we will believe that the weakest President ever is stronger than Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi. If we believe only white people are real Americans, we will believe that Obama was born in Kenya and that the four women of color who have become Trump's latest rally and Twitter targets are foreigners who hate America and should go back to their "shithole" countries.
3) Look for the sense behind the sound of words. In earlier posts (see 10/6/13 and 9/14/14), I discuss how we can be manipulated by language if we don't pay attention to the meaning of words. One effective assignment that I used, mostly in my basic writing classes, was to have students choose a well-known saying (often clichés) to explain and then either support or attack. They would discuss such popular sayings as "the early bird gets the worm" and "the best things in life are free." In my post-teaching life, I have often challenged people who claim to treat everybody the same, pointing out that they don't nor should they. If we don't treat old people the way we treat teenagers, geniuses the way we treat people with learning disabilities, or athletes the way we treat the physically disabled, why should we treat blacks the way we treat whites? We don't nor should we. Even if Trump has told his amusing critic Jim Carrey to go back to Canada (and he hasn't), he still shouldn't tell Representative Omar to go back to Somali because telling black, brown, or yellow people to go back to their homelands or the countries where their ancestors were born is racist.
4) To paraphrase a Ralph Ellison passage, look beneath the surface, not only of words, but also of actions. Do not be fooled by distractions or shiny objects. If something (like a free phone) sounds too good to be true, ask the question I asked in Radio Shack years ago, "What's the catch?" There is no free ride, so when politicians say, as Trump did and still does, "I can fix it. It's easy." don't vote for them. 2020 candidate Yang's $1000 for everyone sounds good, but what's the cost? What do we lose when we gain that guaranteed income, and why should Trump or Bloomberg get $1000 a month?
5) Be a contrarian. One false dichotomy that's created by sloppy users of language is the leader versus the follower choice. Most of us are somewhere in between. We sometimes lead and sometimes follow. We might join a group and then bring others in with us. However, we need to beware of being seduced or bullied by the crowd. Just because most people believe that racism is not American doesn't mean we have to believe that. Of course, it's a lie. America was built on racism. When Trump says, "everyone believes (or knows) that" or when he brags (i.e. lies) about the size of his crowds, he's appealing to our need to be like everyone else, to be part of the crowd. That need leads to lynch mobs, cults, and even mass suicides like the one in Jonestown.
6) Don't willingly suspend disbelief. Question everyone and everything. Be especially suspicious of the people who look or think like you. I'm more likely to be punked by a commentator on MSNBC than one on Fox (especially since I don't even watch Fox) or by a dark-skinned, elderly black woman than by a young, blue-eyed, blond white man.
7) Ask the right questions (see 7/27/14 post). Anyone who watches "Dateline," "48 Hours," or any of the other crime shows knows how important asking the right questions can be. In the current political situation, if we don't ask why white women and white evangelicals voted for Trump after they heard the pussy-grabbing tape, we might not understand why those brown children are still in cages and why masterful con artist Trump is attacking four attractive young women of color instead of Chuck Schumer or Adam Schiff.
8) Use whatever reliable tools you have available. When composition students were writing argumentative papers, including the ones in response to the popular sayings, I would tell them to draw on experience, observation, and (reliable) printed or other sources. One new saying that I've created is "Wisdom comes to those who wait." Older people who can learn from experience (some, like two of our recent Presidents, can't) tend to be wiser because they've had more experiences than their younger friends and family members. But we also might be clueless about newer technology and pop culture trends and personalities. That's when we need to observe and read. I'm less informed about technology than probably even the average senior, but I'm more informed about pop culture because I read PEOPLE and US every week.
9) Think defensively. Just as we need to drive defensively, watching for careless drivers who might switch suddenly into our lanes or speed through a red light, we need to beware of careless thinkers. There are the name-calling bullies--"idiot," "snowflake," "Nazi," "socialist"--, attacking the person instead of the argument. There are the straw man builders, who will revise our argument, making it weaker, sometimes even ridiculous, so that they can attack it more easily. And there are the definers who think they are the only ones who can determine what is patriotic, moral, racist, or American. Because I taught critical thinking for a living, I'm especially effective at pointing out logical fallacies. I just had to learn not to use technical terms like "ad hominem" (I now say "attack the person") when I moved from the English classroom to social media.
10 Rethink. Just as rewriting is as important (if not more) as writing, rethinking is as important as thinking. As anyone who watches crime shows or reads mystery novels knows, sometimes even the best detectives arrest the wrong suspect and miss the real killer who might be right in front of their eyes. We all make mistakes, and when we do, we must rethink. In 2016, most of us made the huge mistake of underestimating how much racism there is in this country. Even I, who was constantly pointing out racism and calling out fake colorblind white folks, didn't believe that Trump could win states like Florida and Ohio, which McCain and Romney lost, but Bush won, much less Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. But I immediately started rethinking after the unimaginable happened. What I say now is, "We don't know what Americans will do, how they will vote." We didn't think they would vote for Obama, but they did. And most of us thought Trump was a sideshow, a clown. Even when I realized he was dangerous (see 6/21/15 post), it wasn't because I thought he could convince millions of Americans to vote for him.
Clear thinking is not easy. Just like weight lifting and long distance running, it requires effort. But, unlike those optional physical activities, we have to think. If we are conscious, we are thinking. Unfortunately, too often we're not thinking clearly. To save ourselves and the world, let's start thinking calmly, objectively, independently, defensively, and clearly. And when we finish thinking, let's rethink.
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