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Reposted from AllSides.com
Authoritarianism versus libertarianism, nationalism versus globalism, traditionalism versus progressivism — ideological bias in politics (and beyond) is no longer just about left versus right.
Sometimes people get mad about the AllSides Media Bias Chart.
“How can you put Jacobin and the New York Times (both rated Left) in the same category?!” they say. “There’s no way Breitbart is the same as the National Review (both rated Right)!”
We stand by our ratings, but the angry tweeters have a point — of course the AllSides left-to-right media bias spectrum doesn’t tell the full story about political ideology. Our scale is a simplified representation of a complex array of beliefs and ideas — there are plenty of shades of grey in between. Just because a writer or media outlet is rated Left, doesn’t mean you can predict their views on all issues. Our ratings should be viewed as a doorway to starting a conversation and understanding biases and issues more completely.
Read moreMany of the groups supporting President Biden’s stimulus bill touted its capacity to build “civic infrastructure.” The resulting American Rescue Plan does include elements—like support for broadband access, child care, and volunteerism—that would seem to help Americans participate in public life. Is this enough? What exactly is civic infrastructure anyway, and what more might we need to do to strengthen it?
Read moreBy Laura Feibush. Reposted from whatisessential.org
The past year has brought us the rise of the Zoom meeting in all its glory, and with it, the corresponding exhaustion of Zoom fatigue. We’ve been made to realize, yet again, how many of our contemporary technologies ask us to balance their life-giving connectivity with their potential for draining over-exposure.
Read moreBy Sukhayl Niyazov. Reposted from AllSides.com.
In our increasingly polarized age, it has become commonplace to attribute our political opponents’ beliefs to their irrationality. Advancements in psychology seem to validate this view: we are prone to confirmation bias, engage in motivated reasoning, and become self-insulated in social media information bubbles and echo chambers, etc.
Read moreBy Taylor Lewis. Reposted from FreeThePeople.org.
Score one for Alex Jones. Americans are about to be introduced to the concept of a “vaccine passport.”
Did I say “about to be”? Mea culpa on the misphrasing. Vaccine permission slips have long existed in America: inoculation proof scripts are a prerequisite to attend many public schools and colleges (with precious few conscientious exemptions). It’s not even federal policy—states enforce the mandate in a decentralized and patchwork manner. All 50 states and the District of Decency’s Columbarium require a handful of inoculums, including for pertussis and polio. More blueish states expand the list of necessary immunizations to include hepatitis B and pneumococcal infections. Massachusetts even makes kids get the annual flu poke.
Read moreBy Rachael Houston. Reposted from CampusElect.org.
The 2020 Election saw unprecedented levels of civic engagement among the youngest generation. We witnessed a new generation of civically engaged student leaders step up to meet the challenges they faced. Now, we have to find ways to keep that momentum going to create lasting change in local communities across the country. Below we have a few ways that you can keep that momentum going and make lasting change in your community:
By Thomas H. Little, Ph.D. Reposted from SLLF.org
In recent weeks, leaders across the country have been gaveling their chambers to order for the 2021 legislative session. If history is an accurate indicator, about half of those leading these sessions will be new to their positions and many new to leadership. It is to these “newbies” that I offer these thoughts.
Read moreReposted from CivilSquared.org.
On a visit to London some years ago, I stood in the American Memorial Chapel at St. Paul’s Cathedral. I found myself overwhelmed by pride and sadness. In the 1950s, when the English rebuilt parts of this historic church damaged in the Blitz, the chapel was dedicated to thousands of Americans who died in World War II.
Read moreReposted from CivicHealthProject.org.