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As Dishonest Attack Ads Infest Local Politics, New Netflix Doc Suggests Another Way Forward

In a presidential election year, every day of emboldening the Proud Boys, of twistcan feel like a week; every week like a ed, untrue accusations from political canyear. It feels like far more than a week ago didates—feel like another long, difficult that Americans watched as the two presiyear. We’d like to believe that humans can dential candidates appeared together for chart a better way forward for our lives on their first debate. The subsequent string the Internet, and “The Social Dilemma” of local and national officials announcing lays out some of the ways to do so. publicly that they denounce white supremPay attention to any of the issues acy—in response to the president’s roundmentioned above and it would be easy to about refusal to do so—also feels like a believe that things are hopeless. But not long-distant memory. And the president’s quite as amplified are the voices of othhospitalization from COVID-19? Started ers who send a different message—one and finished, all inside this one week. that may be closer to the truth that tru

Here in Bend, the string of activity and ly governs our lives. Case in point: fear ire around the notion of white supremand uncertainty being sown around the acy came to a head at Pilot Butte State United States’ ability to execute a free Park this weekend, where Black Lives and fair election. It’s a scary prospect, to Matter activists stood in front of a police be sure—and voter suppression is a real car and demanded the officers denounce threat in many states. Here in Oregon, white supremacy, not long after a man however, our leaders—both Democrat pulled a gun on activists for stealing his and Republican—have long invested in Trump flag. The flag-stealer was cited, voter access by way of mail-in voting and but no one else, as of this writing. automatic voter registration. Meanwhile,

Online and on TV, the nasty tone of our governor—along with the governational politics has begun to shade local nors of nine other states—just last week politics, too. A series of attack ads from a issued a statement patently denouncing candidate running for Oregon House Diswhite supremacy. And at the vast will of trict 54 has been a lesson in the ugliness— the people, the Oregon legislature, this and twisted truth—that can come during year, devoted the majority of a special sespolitical season. We’re used to seeing that sion to changing some of the laws around type of ugliness in national politics, but policing that were not serving the people. we’d hoped that Central Oregon politicians When it appears that our instituwere better than that. Candidates should tions are crumbling, that our nation is be responsible for their ads; and voters can imperiled and there’s no way out, these hold politicians to a standard of decency by truths are the things to keep sight of— voting out the offenders come Election Day. even as social media delivers you a type

Combined, the actions and activities of hellscape hand-tailored to your interfrom just this past week paint a picture of net-browsing history. To be sure, every a house divided; of untenable and untreatinstitution—including the governance of able problems that signal a race to the botOregon—can and does need tweaking to tom, both nationally and locally. We can’t ensure that institutional racism and police help but tie all of this to the messages brutality and voter suppression, and heck, introduced in the new Netflix documentaeven outright presidential chicanery canry, “The Social Dilemma,” which outlines not continue. But the real work—and the how social media is designed to foster divireal solutions—are achieved far, far from sion—because division creates more web social media. traffic, and more potential for advertising, There was a time when time did not than unity and understanding among peostretch into these long, protracted and ple. Films such as this one represent small surreal episodes of ire, violence and nas“wins” for those who want to see an end tiness. As “The Social Dilemma” points to the division, and a way forward that out, changing where we aim our attendoesn’t make every week—filled with talk tion can begin the healing.