Does Evidence Even Matter? – On my Om:

Federal agents shot an American citizen, and it was caught on video. It is the sickening outcome of virulent tribalism sweeping our world, enabled by the internet. We have forgotten that life is not a football game. Pick your team. Defend your side. Ignore evidence if it contradicts your tribe. 

We think democracy is the flag, the ability to vote, or words in the Constitution. It is not. Democracy is an idea, an ideal, an agreement. Once you decide evidence does not matter if it hurts your team, you have already lost the thing you think you are defending. We are not seeing what is happening to us.

Red Sox vs. Yankees. Mac vs. Windows. Harmless tribalism. Then the internet scaled it to everything. Cable news figured it out first. Outrage gets ratings. Social networks weaponized it. Algorithms reward tribal warfare. Fight harder, see more content that makes you angrier. That’s the business model.

I wish I’d written this. I’ve been thinking it for months. I’m grateful that Om Malik was able to say it so well. Go read the whole essay. It’s worth it.