A better bottom line

Political folk are fond of "bad-mouthing" countries, groups & individuals who don't agree with them, with no respect for objectivity or balance. This is an element of human nature that on a crowded planet may work against temporary coexistence as well as long term sustainability.

An important repair for the bad effects of this tendency might be development of robust and objective tools for monitoring the impact of policy decisions and political strategies on community health. Niche-network layer-multiplicity is a tool based in the physical sciences which could work objectively, for now at least within communities of a single organism type, without regard for race, creed, species, or even solar system of origin. It can guide us away from Jerry Springer moments toward meaningful dialog (when that's what we want).

What will it take to develop it and put it to good use?

Relativity lesson

Unguided reactions to media communcations might be damped by better conceptual framing i.e. informed rearrangement of our idea maze.

Consider the shift in questioning style mandated by the discovery that time's passage is frame-dependent. Since our old ways of thinking and talking often assume that time's passage is universal instead, they may cause more confusion than they are worth.

In that case, the cognitive dissonance can be lessened by reframing questions. For instance, unless you want the resulting arguments to sound like a free-for-all on the Jerry Springer Show...:

• ...don't ask: Is that particular clock fast or slow?
• ...instead ask: How does the proper-time elapsed on that clock compare to: (i) the clock's elapsed-time reading and (ii) the time elapsed in a map-frame of co-moving yardsticks and synchronized clocks?

This second two-part question is better because it respects the fact that time's passage is frame dependent, and separates questions of clock-calibration (i) from questions about frame-dependent differences in how fast it appears to tick (ii).

What are some comparable guidelines for making media communications more robust?

Constructive refocus

Present day media likes to talk about problems with corruption by others. It's also fond of summarizing the numbers of people killed and injured. Both of these items relate to the structure of bonds in a community i.e. of layered niches of responsibility, but they make no attempt to capture the whole picture.

The multiplicity of niche types that look in and out from the skin, family and culture of each individual does attempt to capture the whole picture. When a disaster occurs or a wall is built between cities, what does that do the connections between people involved? How are these connections impacted by changes in governmental policy?

Although there are simpler ways to score social injury, progress bringing niche-network layer multiplicity in a community up near six can be a robust measure of accomplishment as well. Hence a news focus on this broader picture of social impact is probably worth working on, even if we have to work through a few pitfalls of biased representation along the way. Suggestions invited...

Integrative opportunity

The challenge of making available to everyone all six of the niche types that look in/out-ward from skin, family and culture provides a rational basis for working together across regional-community, belief-system, and professional boundaries.

Name two groups who distrust one another, and this platform provides a context for them to work together. How can we make the most of it, and what are some illustrative examples that come to mind?

Flatlining complexity.

Disrespect for perspectives informed to other levels of organization is an excellent way to lose those levels irreversibly. In fact slowing down this process may be a key challenge (not just for our species) during the second half of metazoan life on earth.

How might we help?

Are all roses roses?

Call all spades spades, and black hearts (not expected and hence easily mistaken for spades in a typical deck) may get carte blanche.