Should You Challenge Your Beliefs? - Thinkjoust Tuesday #46

I'm pretty sure everyone knows I don't like Donald Trump. Here's some proof. Here, too. And here. And ... here. 

As it is, it's no surprise that I absolutely love it when Late Night talk show hosts blast the politician. One particularly infamous example happened on Stephen Colbert's show, in a particular segment that some people say 'Destroyed Donald Trump.' The clip is down below.

I thought the debate was not only hilarious, but also revealing. Come on! I thought. How does anyone like this guy?

Then, a short while later, I found this comic.

http://wondermark.com/c1209/

Thanks to David Malki ! for this comic.

Anyway, if you didn't want to read the whole thing, the point is, Stephen Colbert (or Bingus Gabberdeen, as it were) didn't actually destroy Donald Trump. Yes, he may have successfully burned Donald Trump, but Colbert lacked the ability to actually change anything. The musician-character in the comic says it best, and I quote.

"It was insightful and funny and, as it was delivered to an entirely like-minded audience, it changed the political opinion of no one."

This blew my mind because it made so much sense. DUH Colbert couldn't destroy Donald Trump. He was already preaching to the choir.

And it makes sense. If you're a right-wing, you're probably going to prefer right-wing news programming. If you're a left-wing, the same pattern naturally follows. If you like Donald Trump, odds are you're not going to like Stephen Colbert, and so you won't be a part of his audience.

So I got to thinking, and I realized I have very rarely challenged my beliefs regarding Donald Trump. I often watch videos that condemn or criticize him, but I don't actively seek out material that praises him or discusses his good merits. In that sense, I have merely validated my own opinion instead of building a larger picture and then going off of that.

The thing is, I find it scary to break down my beliefs and analyze them. My personal belief system is a large part of the foundation that makes me who I am. If I discover something that challenges my belief system, and I agree with that challenge, I feel vulnerable. I'm no longer confident in who I am.

An example of this can be found in my post following up on the In God We Trust thinkjoust. In essence, the follow-up discussed my belief that it didn't really matter if In God We Trust is carved onto our government buildings and coins. But then an anonymous user commented on the follow-up. Their tone in the comment was vaguely confrontational, but they raised some good points that changed my perspective on the In God We Trust issue.

So now I ask you, dear audience. Is it a good idea to challenge your beliefs, or should we stick with material that appeals to and/or validates us?

This next Response Saturday will present my up-to-date opinion about challenging your personal beliefs. I will consider any arguments you deliver via the comments section or social media engagements.

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.