THE Social Media Platforms have become “a way-of-life” for many Americans but these platforms are proving to be a “two-edged-sword” that is just as much dangerous as they are helpful to society. Many Americans on the mainland and in the CNMI are virtually LIVING-OFF Social Media that has literally “taken-control of some of their behavior and beliefs.” But the TRUE Reality is only “open & objective minds will be able to recognize or discover that the Social Media gossip, half-truths and even outright lies about the Political Arenas of America are out-right-LIES.
I can remember challenging Rep. Edwin Propst to stop using Social Media for Political Purposes because of the basis fact that “social & political don’t make for a pure mix,” especially when half-truth falsehoods and LIES are promoted when our society needs the TRUTH, as Lies & Truth don’t mix and “a half-truth is really a whole lie” for TRUE! But I will admit Rep. Propst was RIGHT because so many voters do depend upon Social Media and that I was WRONG about the use of Social Media because the entire world has changed to using Social Media for Political Purposes. But it doesn’t change the fact that Social Media may have helped Rep. Propst but it also turned around like the proverbial Tiger to attack him when the Governor asserted the character assassination attempted on Rep. Propst with a fraudulent twenty-year old sex allegation that pushed him to quitting. But the CNMI was truly BLESSED and just fortunate that we are so small that everyone who used the Public Media in the CNMI already KNEW the attack on Rep. Propst was a LIE which is why he was re-elected anyway with the most votes in his precinct. WE the People owe Rep. Propst a debt of gratitude for accepting and honoring voter’s desire remaining in the House of Representatives.
But without any doubt, Social Media platforms are extremely powerful but when that power is misused and abused like we just saw with the Social Media Attack on Rep. Propst the platform is just as dangerous as it is helpful. In fact, the last Presidential Election those same Social Media platforms caused our nation to fall into an “abyss of insurrection” that caused unimaginable harm to our nation, which is why Trump was BANNED from Social Media because he is just TOO DANGEROUS — for REAL!
Now WE the People can even see Social Media being used on the mainland by Republican Mayors, Governors, Members in the House of Representatives, and Senators still flooding America with falsehoods to mislead voters. To make it worse there is ONE Public Media Source, FOX News, that is very much like Social Media because their hosts like Sean Hannity is no more reputable than Social Media as they broadcast some of the same misleading LIES that are spewed across the Social Media Platforms. If there is ONE thing that we can point to that played the biggest role in “promoting racism, the division within our nation’s voters and even the deaths of hundreds of thousands from Covid-19 who didn’t have to die” it’s Social Media! Promoting the STUPID RIGHT to “not-wear-a-mask” was driven by Trump and Social Media and not the mainstream media. South Korean People didn’t even have to be told to wear a mask once the virus was detected thus, they are counting hundreds of deaths while America is counting in the HUNDREDS-of-THOUSANDS dead thanks in-part to Social Media — a clear example of the two-edged danger in Social Media.
The Reality
The reality is that the CNMI’s Prosperous Era “soared to stratospheric heights” under Democrat Gov. Froilan “Lang” C. Tenorio (1994-1998) and the recent “End Income Crush for Working Families Act” is a revival and PROOF that Democrats work FOR the People, not IPI. But the reality is when the Public Media does a story like the recent Bill by Tina Sablan that will restore “earned income tax credit (EITC)” which is really a great thing to help the People there will be push back when Social Media should be shouting KUDOS and THANKS — a true Democrat Tradition as the People’s Party. While the cost of this Bill will obviously be the prevailing adverse rational, we should be mindful that NOTHING ever happens until we TRY and Republicans saying no with their “defeatist attitude” won’t help people one penny’s worth for TRUE. The REALITY is that if Republicans (Governor & Crew) would do their job and get OUR money from IPI the cost of the EITC won’t be a problem, duh! But Rep. Sablan’s accomplishment figuratively won’t get the “time-of-day” in the Senate not even reaching the Governor, nor on Social Media when compared to the promotion of Republican character assassinations on Social Media and misleading fantasies. But this Bill is just more proof we need a Democrat controlled Government for real CHANGE! I’m hoping Social Media will BLOW-UP when the Bill gets to the Senate so keep your visual on the Senate voters. If Republicans were TRUE to their “fiscal responsibility claims” we wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of the EITC because they would have NEVER given IPI OUR 37 million soon to be 57 million in Community Chest Funds — so go get OUR money Republicans because “WE the People need it NOW”!!! Social Media should have all-eyes-on-the-Senate to pass the Bill and DEMAND for IPI to pay the cost, as the reality for paying the cost is just that simple.
The reality is WE the People shouldn’t totally depend upon Social Media for our “political food-for-thought” because you can easily be misled which is why voters need to pay some attention to mainstream media to authenticate or verify what they are reading on Social Media. But if you only watch FOX & Social Media you may never see the TRUTH! Readers will really be surprised to learn what sooooo many voters believe to be true when it’s a complete lie because they are depending solely upon Social Media to keep them informed. For me, the reality is that Social Media should be more about SOCIAL MATTERS and not Politics especially in the CNMI where a large part of our society is on Food Stamps and can’t even afford to be on Social Media but they do depend on the “coconut-wire” (CNMI Gossip Line) that depends on Social Media for gossip.
The reality is the Social Media Platforms are here to stay and their use for Political purposes will continue but it is ALL important that voters LEARN to “not solely depend upon social media” when it comes to casting their vote but to do their OWN homework on candidates by following the more reputable Public Media Sources. If you were a Trump supporter and only followed Social Media you still believe the election was stolen and a host of other misleading LIES. I truly feel sorry for those who are caught in this Social Media Abyss of Lies and can’t get out.
I actually write these articles for “intellectual purposes like a truth serum” and the saddest reality about this very Sunrise Report is that too many People on Social Media may NEVER read this “Important Warning of TRUTH,” as some people would prefer to read about gossip than REAL news in the newspaper. In fact, many Social Media People are so used to reading one or two paragraphs at a time they don’t even want to read this two-page-report, saying it’s too long when they are only two pages. I wonder what did they do or fail to do when they had to read a book? For me as an educator, why complain about reading two pages when it should be about “what’s important and resonates their required interest,” a challenge I faced in getting students to read required assignments when I was teaching and adults are even WORSE! Figuratively speaking, I just hope that ONE DAY those who think my articles are too long will realize my articles are NOT Social Media and are important enough to read and some are even two-articles-in-one like this one. They are missing “the good fruit of TRUTH all because they don’t want to climb the tree (read)” not knowing the “fruit of knowledge” is not going to fall for them to pick up and it diminishes their A-game to the Polls which is why the CNMI has been DECIMATED by the Republican Party.
To be continued: One People One Direction.
The writer is a retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
File photo
