The mother of all problems

“With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.” – Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail ‘72

Every year at Passover, along with the singing and the salt-water, my family has a rollicking argument about Israel. The argument never gets anywhere because we can never even agree on terms. It’s like we’re speaking different languages. I would go on, but this insightful article explains exactly what I’m talking about.

Like most insightful articles about the Middle East, Bronner’s is terrifying. If we can’t even talk to each other, how can we make real progress? Well, from the very same Week in Review, here’s a good idea. Counterintuitively, but I think persuasively, the column argues that language can be the solution as well as the root of the problem.