This is a quick question with a probable quick answer. I started with a title of this post that was about battle lines, and those appear to be in flux. Upon further consideration, it appears to me that what’s altering the battle lines is the often fuzziness of issue definitions. Statements one would make today about current issues could become irrelevant in a short time, as news and social media turn their focus onto a latest other hot topic.
The problem of the short attention span of the public in general gets mentioned occasionally, but then those mentions themselves become forgotten by the same short attention span they mentioned in the first place. Most of the issues that matter should stay in the public’s view, regardless of whether they’re being discussed at the moment by viral social media posts. The public discussion needs an army of good and knowledgeable people posting about issues that matter, even when (and especially when!) they are not the current hot button rage topics.
As each election year becomes more critical, it’s also critical to stay in contact with elected officials after and between elections—at all levels. Just because a truly deserving topic is hot today, doesn’t mean the other truly deserving topics are not also hot—today.
The quick answer to the quick question posed above in the title is no, issue definitions will never stabilize. That’s one reason it is increasingly critical to keep stirring all critical issues on the stove—countering the increasing onslaught of deliberate disinformation makes that an essential imperative. Here’s wishing you the fortitude to keep the conversation on an even keel, for truly effective positive change.
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