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Q&A: How Do We Heal Polarization and Restore Public-Health Trust?

Day 1 · 3:32:42 · Dean Allison · Ron Johnson

  • 🤝 Johnson says national division is existential; business-style focus on shared interests beats perpetual argument.
  • 🗣️ More speech, not Trusted News referees, is the remedy—citizens must vet claims and resist bias-confirming deepfakes.
  • 🕯️ Shared humanity in tragedies like 9/11 and humble truth-seeking at this inquiry can let good and truth prevail.

Closing call for humility, open debate, and confidence rebuilt on evidence.

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Transcript

Dean Allison · 3:32:42

It seems that you made a comment earlier that some of, um, there was a difference between Democrat-run states and, and Republican-run states. And in Canada too, there seems to be some polarization on this issue between parties. How do you think we can get through this? Because it seems to me that anything health, or, you know, the issue of vaccine hesitancy or lack of confidence in public health, that's a problem that needs to be solved. Like, surely it's good for a nation if the populace has confidence in their public health authorities. How do you think we can move through that and get through, you know, party differences and make this about what's best for the citizen again?

Ron Johnson · 3:33:26

So as much as I ran because we're mortgaging our kids' future, um, for the last few years, and, you know, we've had Admiral Mike Mullen saying the greatest threat to America is our debt deficit. I mean, for a number of years now I was saying, no, I think the greatest threat to America and our democracy is our horribly divided country. Um, it's just unsustainable. And, and the, the only cure I can see for that is kind of what you do in the business world. You know, you don't get very far in business arguing all the time. Business, you try and find areas of agreement. I got a product, you want to buy it? Okay, now we'll haggle over the price. So I think it's about focusing on areas of agreement. But one of the problems we have today is what's true? I mean, I certainly have a bias. I'll see something posted on social media and go, unbelievable. Generally, I try and vet all of it. And I've got a pretty good staff that go, uh, don't believe that, it seems entirely true.

Ron Johnson · 3:34:31

Not everybody's got a staff to vet the latest outrage on both sides. So I hate to say this out of trust in the news initiative. I understand the desire to have some referee out there saying this is true, this isn't. It's just not going to be possible. So, you know, I think it was Louis Brandeis, to some impact, you know, when talking about misinformation and particularly misinformation that could be harmful to public health. So the solution isn't less speech. The solution is more speech. That's a paraphrase and probably a pretty bad one at that. But I mean, the solution literally is more speech. And as consumers of speech, as consumers of information, we need to be very discerning. I'd be I've become far more wary of allowing my biases to automatically agree with something that I think is kind of a blockbuster revelation that reinforces what I believe, and to vet that out.

Ron Johnson · 3:35:38

I think as consumers of information, we just need to be more wary of that. I mean, now with AI, these deepfakes, I mean, I can't tell you how many videos I sent my siblings, which is great videos of, you know, a lion saving a lamb. It's fake, you know? I've been very disappointed sometimes of the ones I've said, ah, that's another AI fake. So again, that's just a problem. But focus on areas of agreement. That's why I said, you know, I opened up, you know, I love Canada, I love Canadians. I mean, understand that shared heritage, focus on that. Yeah, okay, I know we got disagreements, okay? Those are real. Okay, they're not going away. But I think what binds us together is, is, is human beings. And, and we, we see it all the time. You know, we're coming up on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which I'm sure was every bit as impactful in Canada as it was in, in America. Um, we see at moments of tragedy like that the absolute best come out, come out of people as human beings.

Ron Johnson · 3:36:45

The firefighters walking into danger lost their lives. So, I mean, focus on good. I know I'm here doom and gloom, and I've got a lot of criticism, that kind of stuff, but you got to believe good's going to overcome it. You got to believe truth will prevail, which is why this, again, this inquiry is so important. And again, everything said here may not be be true. You know, some of the witnesses, we might get some things wrong. We don't, don't slaughter us over it. Don't, don't vilify. I mean, we're trying to tell the truth. Prove me wrong, I'll, I'll apologize and correct it right off the bat. Again, bring that level of humility and modesty to these discussions. Doctors, you can't expect doctors to know all these things. It's impossible. They specialize in area.

Ron Johnson · 3:37:46

That's why doctors consult. It's like, I don't know much about kidneys.