The death of argument

I went to a lovely outdoor party last night (yes, I actually left my house). It was a gathering of educated, intelligent people, very like the ones I grew up with and attended college with. In high school, a bunch of us used to gather regularly to argue the issues of the day. The word ARGUMENT is an interesting one, from the Latin, ARGUMENTUM, or ARGUERE, which means to make clear, to prove, to offer evidence. We had a great time with this, back in the day, chowing down my mother's apple crisp or cream puffs while we debated Vietnam, medical care in America, premarital sex . . . you name it. We ARGUED for hours, and our friendships were never in doubt. Those kids--now middle-aged--are still my friends.

Is this no longer possible? A woman asked me a question last night (thinking no doubt that I might know something because I write sf), and in answer I asked if she had seen "An Inconvenient Truth". The response shocked me so much that I kept waking up all night, hearing it again. She said, "No, I never will." When I asked why, this beautiful, smart woman said, "Because I'll never believe anything that comes out of that man's mouth." Never mind the science, never mind the evidence. It was all about politics, all about hating Al Gore as a representative of a political stance, all closed-minded determinism as set out by Fox News or its like. It was emblematic of this great divide that has split our country down the middle.

Vitriol has replaced argument. I don't even care, in this case, whether the arguer accepts my own position on global climate change or holds fast to another view. The point is that we're no longer able to have discussions with people who disagree with us. Slogans have become conversation-enders. Hatred has supplanted reason. How are we, as a people, to solve the issues we face if we can't even talk about them? I don't have an answer, but I'm sad this morning.
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