As a rule, I avoid writing about political issues, particularly during the contentious Trump presidency, when the salient facts on many issues seem to take a back seat to support the desired result, whatever that may be.  In other words, “the ends justifies the means,” — not a new phenomenon!  

The practice goes back to ancient times, and may have been first expressed by the poet Ovid in his poem “Heroides,” as “existus acta probat,” meaning “the outcome justifies the actions”  (idioms.thefreedictionary.com)  In Ancient Greece that concept was known as “Consequentialism;” i.e., “the moral words of an action is determined by its potential consequence, not by whether it follows a set of written edicts or laws.” Said a different way:  “Morally wrong actions sometimes become necessary to achieve morally right results.”  (Wikipedia, Consequentialism.)  Sound familiar?

With our modern day 24/7 news cycle on Cable and Social Media, many stories go viral without first checking the underlying facts, which often prove to be incomplete or wrong.  Our culture is hopelessly split on many issues, so when a person reads or hears a report that satisfies their political views, they pass it on to others irrespective of its factual correctness.  In today’s world, many people have become “ethics challenged,” as they select a preferred result, and then fudge the facts to support it; rather than marshal the facts first, and then use them to reach a proper conclusion.  Two pointed quotes:

— “The principal that ‘the end justifies the means’ is and remains the only rule of political ethics; anything else is just a vague chatter and melts away between one’s fingers.  Arthur Koestler (1905—1983), a Hungarian born author, opponent to Communism, who became a British citizen.

— “You’re entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts!”  Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927—2003), US senator from New York. 

As per Koestler, politicians may not be able to help themselves; but as per Moynihan, journalists should at least unearth true facts and hold the politicians accountable.  

The polarization in our congress and country adopts the game plan: “If you are not with us, you are against us,” with few, if any, remaining in the center to broker compromise, as each side hunkers down into their ideology and unsupported facts.   

This polarization extends to college campuses.  Universities must include “safe spaces” for students, who do not wish to hear opposing views.  Apparently, free speech has been expanded to exclude unwanted speech, thus failing the time honored practice of discussing issues to expanding one’s understanding of the differences, which understanding could lead to some reasonable resolution.