Pack mentality cripples chance to solve problems

American congressman Trey Gowdy will retire after his current term to return to work in the justice system where, he says, “facts matter.”

When asked on CNN if facts don’t matter in the halls of U.S. government, Gowdy said, “I think what matters in Congress is finding a group and then validating or ratifying what they already believe.”

In his seven years in government Gowdy said he had never seen anyone’s mind changed by a speech or a debate.

With those comments he explained much about why society is so confrontational and why it seems impossible to get anything done.

“I like the art of persuasion. I like finding 12 people (on a jury) who have not already made up their minds and then may (if ) the facts prevail. That’s not where we are in politics.”

The kind of group dynamic Gowdy was talking about leads to pack attacks on all comers. It is not limited to government. In fact, it is a big part of the fuel that keeps social media going.

And it extends to every major issue of the day.

It’s important to note that Gowdy is a bit late to the dance of common sense. A member of the Tea Party, Gowdy was one of the key members of Congress who dragged the Benghazi inquiry on and on looking for dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Still, it’s hard to believe the founding fathers in the U.S. or the Fathers of Confederation in Canada foresaw what passes for debate in today’s world.

True and effective debate would involve different ideas and solutions being expressed with tolerance for the views of others.

The best solution should emerge from the various positions and we would all move forward.

Not in today’s world. People find like-minded folks, join their pack and stand firm against any idea or fact that might threaten their position or lead them to actually think things through.

One issue where this pack attitude banishes all attempts at reasonable solutions is in Canada’s pipeline debate.

Facts obviously are the first to fall to the pack mentality.

One anti-pipeline social media meme says that the “age of fossil fuels is coming to an end.”

Although that dream is one that many of us would welcome, it’s still a dream.

If it were more than that, somebody should tell the 270,000 Canadians working in the energy sector and the 600,000 who are employed indirectly. (The “energy sector” includes electricity.)

Even the most cursory understanding of the world shows that the use of fossil fuels is growing. In Canada the amount of primary energy produced in 2014 was 25 per cent greater than in 2000.

Certainly pipelines are not an ideal means of transporting oil products. But the people of Lac-Mégantic might argue they’re better than rail.

Beyond the facts, the debate is changing no one’s mind, perhaps because facts are bent and twisted to support preconceived notions, as outlined in the example above.

The same pack mentality is evidenced in response to court rulings, in attempts to improve our electoral systems, and pretty much anything else that raises a modicum of interest in the great unwashed.

Firm positions often are based on emotion rather than facts so all packs snarl and snip at each other to no one’s benefit.

If solutions are available to this state of affairs, they’re anything but obvious.