Infinite Monkeys Typing Infinitely on Keyboards

Obviously, it is impossible to love someone unless you agree with everything they believe. Obviously, if you disagree with their beliefs, it means you wish nothing but ill for them for the rest of their lives. Obviously, the world is strictly dichotomous (especially politics) and you must love one side, hate the other, and assume anyone with conflicting opinions is out to get you and nothing they say is valid. At least, this is what social media has taught me.

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it’s impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves."

-- from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

There's this journalism theory called Infinite Monkey Theorem, that basically states that given an infinite amount of time, a monkey could type an entire work of Shakespeare. This theorem is often used in arguments supporting work of professional journalists vs. public news reporting-- such as blogs and websites where works are published as news from someone not trained in journalism. I used to think that this idea was elitist, and that obviously people in general should be allowed to post whatever they want and it would encourage discourse and promote new ideas and lead to people better understanding one another. I've lost that faith. When you have no consequences for your actions, when you sit safely at your keyboards and make statements based on biases and report them as news, you are a liar. I'm ashamed of the country I once had faith in. I'm ashamed of how everyone uses whatever they can to push their on agendas, and this happens on every side of every issue. I'm ashamed of how little we've progressed toward acceptance, compromise, change, and understanding. I hope one day, our society can overcome this. I hope.

SDG