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Why it's difficult to have civilized political discourse anymore

While many say it's a no-no to ever discuss politics with another person, I think it would be healthy for more people to do so. The problem is that it's getting ever more difficult to civilly discuss such matters with people of differing viewpoints because many people get their "facts" from different sources, these sources usually aren't consistently reliable, and "facts" often times get blurred with opinions.

Sadly, it's gotten to the point where, when I debunked a conspiracy theory of another individual's, he countered that with, "Well, when you think about it, there really isn't such a thing as facts." In other words, "facts" are what we make of them. So long as we believe something to be true, it is, because it can't be proven with 100% certain that it's inaccurate.

A big problem is that many liberals and Democrats tend to get their news from sources like: MSNBC, The Daily Show, internet memes, and many conservatives and Republicans tend to get their news from: Fox News, Rush Limbaugh (and other talk radio), internet memes and chain emails, etc. All of these sources have a political bent to them, and intertwine opinion with fact.

A study was just released which showed that while MSNBC was 90% accurate with regard to climate science, Fox News was just 28% accurate. So, when a regular watcher of the two cable networks get into a discussion regarding that issue, the conversation likely goes something like this:

MSNBC viewer: "Look at the numbers! Climate change is real!"

Fox News viewer: "Whatever! I've heard otherwise. What news channel do you watch?"

MSNBC viewer: "MSNBC"

Fox News viewer: "You see? That's just liberal garbage right there! They're just trying to spread a liberal agenda! That's hogwash!"

MSNBC viewer: "Well, what channel do you watch?"

Fox News viewer: "Fox News"

MSNBC viewer: "...and you actually believe that crap? Look at the studies. Here - I'll show you..." ::fact-checks to find that climate change is real::

Fox News viewer: "Fox said it was baloney, so whatever."


Now, while I believe that MSNBC is more consistently accurate with their reports than Fox News, they still mix opinion with fact to slant the channel to the left, and anymore, it's becoming next to impossible to engage in civilized political discourse with a person of an opposing viewpoint, because not only do the two people disagree on the issue at hand, they disagree on what sources are reliable, and what constitutes actual facts. The fact it seems as if a growing number of people mistake opinion for fact gives me a migraine just thinking about it...
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