Nikki Osborne: When did society become so black and white?

It sounds ridiculous to have to say this but this is honestly what we’ve lowered ourselves to by making politics so polarising. Society is now so black and white, writes Nikki Osborne.

Nikki Osborne

Does calling someone a conspiracy theorist mean they’re wrong? Buckle up – it’s time to address the elephant in the room.

Let’s face it, we’ve just experienced, nay, are still experiencing one of the craziest blips in history. If Covid wasn’t enough, we are now witnessing one of the most unbelievable presidential election lead-ups in history. Both events have been incredibly polarising, causing a very obvious split between camps.

Society has become so black and white. You’re either a pro-vaxxer or an anti-vaxxer. You’re either pro-Trump or pro-Democrats. It fascinates me how triggering these terms have now become.

Gone are the days where one can have a hearty political debate over the dinner table. We used to be able to express our opinions and listen to others to try and ascertain what the right outcome might be.

Instead, now, if someone simply mentions one or the other, it erupts like Vesuvius and ends in someone storming off to their Tesla in a righteous huff.

It’s like we’ve pinned our entire identity to one side and to question it is an affront to our very existence.

Why are we clinging to left or right ideologies so venomously, asks Nikki Osborne.

But why? Why are we clinging to left or right ideologies so venomously? I say venom because I believe having extreme views is poison. Is it the media’s fault? Is it social media’s fault? Is it because during Covid, anyone who questioned what was happening was fact checked and shadow banned thus causing an angry army of repressed vs the validated?

I come from a family of opposing sides.

The past few years I’ve been on a steady diet of family clashes. To my family’s credit, we’ve still all managed to agree to disagree and still enjoy our Christmas pudding, but I’m always left mulling over what was said afterwards.

However, one running theme I’ve discovered is that, whenever someone questions something about how Covid played out, they’re instantly called a conspiracy theorist as a means to discredit them. “All right, you can take the tin foil hat off now,” one family member exclaimed. “Enough of that nonsense.”

Whereas I genuinely wanted to hear what they had to say. No, it didn’t match the information we’ve been bombarded with, but they had made some very interesting points, some of them, in hindsight, have been shown to be true. On the night, however, the term “conspiracy theorist” had shut them down in an instant. It was so easy.

Are you pro-Trump? Be careful how you answer.

And now to Trump and Biden, I mean Kamala, or in case there’s another presidential shake up, let’s say Democrats. I almost think they need to introduce a new rule, if you can’t run, you can’t run. Thankfully Biden worked this out. But age and ramblings aside, again, we appear to have a predetermined view on what the other represents.

Democrats supporters: If you support Trump, then you’re an ignorant, racist bigot who shoots people and can’t spell.

Trump supporters: If you support the Democrats then you’re a snowflake fairy boy who thinks he’s pregnant and wants government handouts. It sounds ridiculous but this is honestly what we’ve lowered ourselves to.

Now I’m gonna quote Taylor Swift here and say “you need to calm down”.

I must stress that neither of the above views are mine because obviously I’m waiting for The Rock to join the race.

Now, I know this article isn’t going to douse any flames burning around this topic, in fact, this may be like chucking a jerry can on it but what I want to know is this: Have you ever heard a conspiracy theory that turned out to be true?

Originally published as Nikki Osborne: When did society become so black and white?