One of the most frustrating aspects of our current political environment, is the death of making and defending arguments. As the brilliant Jonathan Rauch writes in his book, “The Constitution of Knowledge,” one of the pillars of our society is how we generate knowledge, and come to a common understanding. This is done through discussion, conversation, and debate. We evaluate ideas and attempt to separate out what is true from what is not true.
“When Americans think about how we find truth amid a world full of discordant viewpoints, we usually turn to a metaphor, that of the marketplace of ideas. It is a good metaphor as far as it goes, yet woefully incomplete. It conjures up an image of ideas being traded by individuals in a kind of flea market, or of disembodied ideas clashing and competing in some ethereal realm of their own. But ideas in the marketplace do not talk directly to each other, and for the most part neither do individuals.”
Indeed, the metaphor of a “marketplace of ideas” is incomplete. Within that marketplace of ideas, there are conversations taking place. And within those conversations, there are rules and norms that we try to abide by. For example, if you read something in The New York Times, you should expect that whatever you’re reading has been edited, and fact-checked for accuracy. Or, if you’re speaking with friends, you would expect that they’re engaging with you in good faith, and telling you how they really feel, or what they truly believe. Without these norms and rules, trust erodes, and conversations degrade into shouting matches.
I can think of no better example of this dynamic than the various cable news programs, where people from across the political spectrum are brought on to debate current events. The hard breaks for commercials, and the desire for viral, ratings-chasing, “gotcha” moments, make television a terrible medium for serious conversations.
My favorite show of this ilk, is CNN’s “News Night with Abby Phillip,” (which you can see every weeknight at 10pm). Last night on that show, Republican strategist Scott Jennings was asked about the White House’s claims of genocide in South Africa, against white farmers. Watch this exchange below, via Mediaite.
Phillip: “Straight up, we have the numbers, it is completely unsubstantiated…”
Jennings: “You’re saying it’s not true that some white farmers have been murdered?”
Right off the bat, we have a problem. Jennings knows exactly what he’s doing here. He’s creating a straw man argument. Phillip did not say that white farmers were not being killed in South Africa.
Phillip: “No, it’s not true that there is a genocide against White farmers.”
Jennings: “Okay? Whatever you call it, have White farmers been murdered?”
Phillip: “How many White farmers have been murdered in South Africa?”
Jennings: “I don’t know, several. I mean, they asked — ”
Phillip: “No. No. How many? How many?”
Jennings: “I don’t know. Several.”
If you’re going to take a position and defend it, shouldn’t you know the facts about that issue? Jennings says he doesn’t know how many white farmers were killed, but what he does know, is that some white farmers have been killed, and that’s more than enough for him to excuse the messaging coming from the White House. Rather than defend the position of the White House, Jennings pivots to talking about folks being “triggered,” and then goes on to make a jab at the previous administration’s immigration policy.
Phillip: “How many Black farmers have been murdered in South Africa?”
Jennings: “Look, you guys are so triggered over 59 people.”
Phillip: “No, I’m not —”
Jennings: “After we left 20 million people in the country, I don’t know why you’re so triggered by it.”
Phillip: “I haven’t even brought up the people, the White people that Trump picked out because they were White and told them they could come to the country.”
The 59 people, referenced above, are the folks who were let into the country by President Trump, after he claimed they were escaping a genocide in South Africa. Contrast that with the stated policy of the Trump administration, which is to reject asylum claims, particularly those coming from Central and South America. According to Visaverge, the immigration policies of this administration can be summed up like this:
“Trump’s 2025 immigration policy lets judges and DHS officers quickly deny asylum without hearings, expands expedited removal nationwide, and imposes stricter documentation demands. Legal challenges argue these changes violate key rights and norms, making it far harder for many to seek protection.”
But when it comes to white farmers in South Africa, the administration welcomed them with open arms. Known as “Afrikaners”, these people are part of a white ethnic minority group in South Africa, who ruled the country during apartheid. While it’s true that everyone in South Africa faces a risk of violence, because of the country’s problems with crime in general, there is no evidence that white farmers are being intentionally targeted by the South African government, as Trump has claimed.
“Farmers are being killed,” Trump told reporters. “They happen to be white. Whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me. White farmers are being brutally killed and the land is being confiscated in South Africa.”
Trump went as far as showing a propaganda video to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming that it was proof of a genocide against the Afrikaners. FOX News’ Jacqui Heinrich reported on this, and here’s what she said about the video:
Now let’s go back to the CNN show. With all of this information about Trump, the Afrikaners, and the propaganda video, we should be able to determine a few things.
The White House is full of shit when it claims there is a genocide in South Africa against these farmers.
Trump showed the President of South Africa a video that was never vetted in any way at all.
US immigration policy is influenced, at least in part by, conspiracy theories.
Instead of having a substantive discussion about why the White House is getting this wrong, and what potential impact that could have on international relations and immigration, the discussion devolves into partisan, race-baiting talking points.
Phillip: “There are 19,000 murderers in South Africa, 36 were on farms. 7 of the were victims farmers, okay? This is according to the South African police.”
Jennings: “And you think the South African government is a credible source?”
Phillip: “The 29 victims who were included in the farm killings were farm employees who tend to be Black. So, the vast majority of people killed on farms in South Africa are Black. Where is the concern about them?”
Jennings: “The concern is that there are White farmers who have had violence committed against them, and they’re being threatened every single day.”
Attempting to have an honest conversation with someone like Jennings, in that setting (cable news), must be like slamming your head into a brick wall over and over again. Phillip presses Jennings, repeatedly, but rather than acknowledge that the administration is wrong, Jennings evades the question and attempts to make Phillip defend a position she didn’t take to begin with.
Maybe I’m looking for the truth in the wrong places. But on the other hand, these shows are where a lot of the political debates are happening. Shouldn’t we demand better? I want to be informed about the issues, not presented with straw man arguments, obfuscation, and partisan talking points. I want to get to the truth, so that I can be an informed citizen, and in turn, an informed voter.
If things don’t change, we will continue to erode our ability to effectively create knowledge by choosing viral moments over substantive discussion. We will continue to be uninformed or misinformed, because it’s easier to have our priors confirmed, rather than challenged. And as a result of this degradation of knowledge production, we will continue to elect clowns to represent us in Congress, who exist simply to get on TV, or build up their social media profiles. And as we continue to elect clowns to Congress, we can be sure that we continue to get exactly what we deserve.