6 | DECEMBER 16 • 2021 

1942 - 2021

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essay
Improving Online 
Discourse Starts with All of Us
T

ell me, what on earth 
is going on with us? 
How did our discourse 
become so inflammatory, 
extreme and unrestrained? How 
have social-media platforms 
become an arena 
where seemingly 
everything goes, 
where anyone and 
anything can be 
dragged through 
the mud, humil-
iated, scorned 
— where any 
adversary, or just someone with a 
differing opinion, can be treated 
as an enemy?
It’s hard to argue that social 
media hasn’t done a lot of good 
for the world. These networks 
give voice to a wide range of 
opinions and create well-inten-
tioned communities seeking to 
do good, help and support others, 
and even save lives. Today, how-

ever, there’s no doubt that the 
boundaries aren’t clear enough, 
and that these praiseworthy plat-
forms are also a vehicle for bul-
lying, intimidation and violence. 
We are all exposed to insults and 
obscenities that we must not 
accept. We must put an end to the 
undue suffering.
We need to change this 
extreme and incendiary dis-
course. The ability to facilitate 
this change starts with each and 
every one of us, on our cellphones 
and keyboards. Before we post 
another derogatory comment just 
because we can, before we slander 
or berate anyone who disagrees 
with us, let us pause, take a deep 
breath and remember: Flagrant 
and hurtful language doesn’t 
get us anywhere. It only causes 
damage.
And beyond hurting the per-
son we are targeting, it first and 
foremost hurts us all: our society, 

our ability to live here together, to 
build a common future together. 
This is the most fundamental and 
necessary level — the level where 
we personally put an end to key-
board violence.
There’s another level, of bring-
ing light and good into the world. 
After all, words have tremendous 
power. They can create reality and 
change it, they can be destructive, 
but they also have the power to 
rebuild and rehabilitate.
Therefore, in the belief that we 
are capable of coming together 
to alter our discourse on social 
media, I call on all of us to 
“Think Hard” and invite you to 
join a campaign that we are cur-
rently launching to encourage dif-
ferent conduct on social media.
If we change the atmosphere, if 
we lift others a little more, every 
one of us, if we see the good, are 
generous with praise, if we can 
be a light unto others, I’m certain 

that together we can forge a more 
pleasant public space conducive 
to improving our shared lives 
here in this beautiful country. In 
the words of Jerusalemite poet 
Yehuda Amichai: “In this burning 
land, words must provide shade.
”
I will repeat here what I said 
in my inauguration speech as 
president: Let us choose, every 
day anew, ourselves. Let us win 
together, as opposed to just 
beating each other. Let’s choose 
happiness and joy, and extinguish 
the flame of hate with the Israeli 
spirit and love for our country.
Let us choose to be united not 
just in values and principles, but 
also in our hopes and dreams. I 
believe in us. I believe that if we 
think positively, and type posi-
tively, good will come. 

Isaac Herzog is the president of the State 

of Israel. This article first appeared in Israel 

Hayom.

Isaac Herzog

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