This is a response to @mariannewest's recent freewrite prompt, fake news.
Soooo ... if I'm going to be totally honest, the term 'fake news' induces a trauma response within me. How many times have I heard this phrase hurled into the ethers with a tone of hate and anger? How many times have I seen it wielded by incendiary figures who swear they will use it as a weapon to destroy their foes: to assert themselves as the one and only supreme authority, and the only leader worthy of trust?
I'm not even going to get into the identity of those who have used this phrase – I'm sure anyone who reads these words can think of several different candidates. One person in particular looms large in my mind.
At this very moment, though, I just don't want to go there. It's nighttime here in Ireland. I just hopped onto my computer with the intention of responding to a freewrite – perhaps by composing a nice, cheerful poem or story – and I don't have the energy for any potential argument that may arise if I name specific people. Having said that, I don't think I've ever had an argument with anyone in the lovely Freewriters community – everyone is lovely! ❤️
My heart sank down to my toes when I saw that the prompt was 'fake news.' I considered logging off and doing a freewrite another day, but then I took a deep breath and went ... right, let's see it through.
One thing I deeply appreciate about freewriting is that it pushes me to be honest and unfiltered. It challenges me to move through my intial discomfort or "cringe" feeling. When I force myself to write honestly for at least five minutes – pushing past the initial "oh God, I don't want to do this" feeling – I tend to uncover things within myself that I wouldn't have faced otherwise.
So. This is my truth: when I hear the phrase 'fake news', I immediately think of angry placards, hostile slogans, and shrill screams. I see faces contorted with a rage that will not be placated, and will not allow itself to be soothed into a state of deeper compassion. I see crowds pointing their finger at the 'enemy', utterly convinced that they are absolutely, 100% right, with precious little common ground in sight. It saddens me.
I'm tired.
We all are, I suppose.
In particular, my heart goes out to anyone living in the U.S., who must have reached heretofore unknown levels of exhaustion, with scarcely an end in sight. I'm sorry.
Will civility ever return to political discourse again? Is it so difficult for people to be kind to one another? Why can't we get along?
This was meant to be a light and breezy late-night freewriting session. Whoops! 🤣