We're drowning in discourse

Let's shut off the hydrant

Suzan Erem

Mar 05, 2025

When I step outside this time of year, I see less beauty and more work.

Change the oil on the tractor.
Cut the high branches on the peaches.
Fill in that hole.
Refill the off-road diesel and no-ethanol tanks.
Save our democracy.

The list never ends.

If I get paralyzed by a daunting to-do list, I won’t get a lick done. None of us will.

Time to shut off the hydrant

I’m the accidental offspring of an Italian and a Turk, raised in (Upstate) New York. In other words, I was born to have an opinion and share it.

That’s why I feel qualified to say it’s time to shut off our opinion hydrants more often. Before we break up over this, let me explain.

Opinion-making, punditry, infotainment…It’s an industry, an astonishingly large and lucrative industry.

The popularity of opinionating is why most of us with a conscience are one swig away from OD’ing on a prescription in the cabinet.

So, imagine a day – maybe one day a week to start – without the Contrarian or Harry Dunn, Heather Cox Richardson or MeidasTouch. Trust me. I love them. They make me feel less alone. They give me courage. Sometimes they even make me laugh. Just like crack.

And reading them in no way improves my daily life.

I mean, not one of them can teach me how to change that oil, but the mechanic at City Tractor who loves to talk aronias and elderberries sure can. That means my tractor lives longer. That matters right here and now.

Millions of Americans already know this. They hold down a job, maintain their home, raise their kids and go on vacation without ever asking, “Did you catch Rachel Maddow last night?”

No matter how much I read or watch, I still have to feed and water the chickens. I still have to wash the dishes. I still need to share funny stories and daily aggravations with friends.

I still share meals with my husband, take him to medical appointments, hold his hand at night while watching Prison Break and spoon with him in the morning before getting out of bed.

I still write you a postcard.

And I still help our local Indivisible group speak truth to power, in person, right here in Cedar County.

It’s just that much harder to get motivated when we’re saturated by the weight of so much angry, horrified and intense rhetoric, no matter how justified it is.

It’s just that much harder to relish the beauty in life.

Open the valve slowly

I’m not saying dry out and never have another drink (unless you’re truly addicted, in which case, seek help.)

We need information to fight fascism.

The “information” part means supporting professionally-trained journalists who ask hard questions, use primary sources, double-check facts, then present them to us in a way that allows us to decide what to do.

(Opinion, on the other hand, uses those news reports to make a persuasive case.)

That kind of journalism 1. costs money and 2. is disappearing page by page from the American landscape. In fact, if you want to make a real difference, support the Western Iowa Journalism Foundation, which is keeping Iowa’s smalltown papers alive. I’ve just joined the board and am excited to serve.

When you’re ready, add legit news sources like CNN, ProPublica and the Associated Press to your info stream. And consider sprinkling in only one or two favorite opinionators, including at least one comedian.

Just don’t let consuming information become a substitute for action or worse, an exercise in waterboarding. That never turns out well.

We have a long season ahead of us. Could be drought, could be floods but we know for sure it’ll be extreme. Nourish your mind, feed your soul and hang onto your heart. We need you healthy and strong.

Remember to make room for the beauty. It’s the beauty that fuels the work.