Stensland-Bos shares common sense guidelines ahead of this year's elections

To the Editor:
There are a few general thoughts I wanted to share as the circus — ahem, election — season is really getting underway.
First, regardless of your affiliation — and regardless of what the national news media and political parties that thrive off of our division would have you believe — we’re all people. We all deserve basic respect even if we vehemently disagree with each other on many issues. Even our politicians are people, believe it or not, underneath all the bellowing and grandstanding.
I think it’s easy to forget that most people are trying to do what they believe is best, even if they might go about it in radically different ways, even if they might get it wrong sometimes.
Second, some “news” sources flat-out lie to people, intentionally and shamelessly, in order to mislead, to advance their agenda, and to make more money.
Many other sources get things wrong accidentally. I’m sure you’ve seen the Star Herald print corrections, showing that even relatively a-political local papers with high standards can make mistakes.
So be careful about what you believe, and check the facts. (There still are facts out there, elusive as they may seem, and the term “alternative facts” is just another way of saying you lied.) One way to do that is to seek out views from an opposing point of view to challenge your own, even if you don’t agree with everything you read. It will expose some of the holes in your preferred way of thinking.
And this should go without saying, but in case we’ve forgotten, just because someone on the Internet says it’s true, doesn’t mean it is.
So let’s be more respectful, more informed, and more intelligent in how we approach the election this fall.
Matthew Stensland-Bos
Luverne