As someone who blogs about political dialogue and civility, I’m a collector of articles, inspirations, and info related to these topics. Lately, I’ve found so many inspiring things that I want to send them out to you all in one massive chunk of inspiration goodness.
Apparently, the 2016 election didn’t just trigger national angst. It also spurred a lot of people to try and bridge our national divide.
So here is a roundup of what I’ve been finding. Check out these several excellent articles, a cool video featuring Reach Out Wisconsin on “Meet the Press,” several new AMAZING-sounding organizations, an Angry Uncle Bot you can interact with to brush up your civil-dialogue skills, and some humor to boot. I’m also starting a Resources page on this website where you can peruse more ideas I’ve found.
Prepare to be inspired!
Articles I Highly Recommend
“Politics, Facts And Civility: A Lesson In Engaging In Discourse” from NPR’s All Things Considered (October 27, 2018). This piece describes a group that has been meeting at a church in Gettysburg since 2017 for civil discussions of political issues with people of differing perspectives. It sounds very much like Reach Out Wisconsin! See below for more about the group.
“Better Angels group puts Democrats and Republicans, Trump supporters and immigrants, in the same room to listen to each other.” From ABC News (July 25, 2018). See below for more information about Better Angels!
“It may seem a little naive to imagine that just citizens can band together in large enough numbers and with enough moral and intellectual firepower to cause a change in the national culture but I actually don’t see a more efficient way to get this done,” Blankenhorn said. “People are looking for ways to do this… The common thing people tell us: ‘I have been waiting for something like this.'”
“Why Do We See So Many Things as ‘Us vs. Them’?” from the Race Issue of National Geographic (April 2018). (To read the article online, you need to submit an email address—but reading is otherwise free and the article is well worth it.)
It’s a common misfortune around the world: People get along well enough for decades, even centuries, across lines of race or religion or culture. Then, suddenly, the neighbors aren’t people you respect, invite to dinner, trade favors with, or marry. Those once familiar faces are now Them, the Enemy, the Other… We can’t help it: We’re wired from birth to tell Us from Them… Only humans can switch from feeling united as one American nation to feeling divided between conservative red states and liberal blue ones…[but our] capacity to change our perceptions also offers some hope, because it permits people to shift in the direction of more inclusion, more justice, more peace.
“The Other Side Is Not Dumb” by Sean Blanda in Medium (January 7, 2016).
As any debate club veteran knows, if you can’t make your opponent’s point for them, you don’t truly grasp the issue. We can bemoan political gridlock and a divisive media all we want. But we won’t truly progress as individuals until we make an honest effort to understand those that are not like us. And you won’t convince anyone to feel the way you do if you don’t respect their position and opinions. A dare for the next time you’re in discussion with someone you disagree with: Don’t try to ‘win.’ …Hear them out. Ask them to convince you and mean it. No one is going to tell your environmentalist friends that you merely asked follow up questions after your brother made his pro-fracking case.
“A Summer Project to Nourish Your Political Soul,” by David Leonhardt in The New York Times (July 18, 2017).
I have a suggestion. By all means, Trump’s opponents should continue to fight — for health care, civil rights, the climate and truth itself. But there is also a quieter step that’s worth taking no matter your views, for the sake of nourishing your political soul. Pick an issue that you find complicated, and grapple with it. Choose one on which you’re legitimately torn or harbor secret doubts. Read up on it. Don’t rush to explain away inconvenient evidence. Then do something truly radical: Consider changing your mind, at least partially. Doing so will remind you that democracy isn’t simply about political force. It also depends on inquiry and open-mindedness.
Inspiring Video & Bonus Article: Reach Out Wisconsin on “Meet the Press!”
NBC’s “Meet the Press” featured Reach Out Wisconsin in their March 23, 2018 segment “Solutions: Gun Violence, voters discuss Second Amendment divide.” It’s great to watch people from various perspectives making calm, reasoned arguments in a civil setting.
Read here for more information about the “Meet the Press” segment and this kind of “dialogue journalism:” “Can Dialogue Journalism Engage Audiences, Foster Civil Discourse, and Increase Trust in the Media?” by Ricki Morell in NeimanReports (October 23, 2018).
Awesome-Sounding New Organizations
Better Angels. To me, Better Angels looks like Reach Out Wisconsin on steroids. I am so excited to hear about this group. This organization is New York-based, already has thousands of members, is committed to “half red, half blue” organizational leadership, holds dialogue workshops, and trains moderators. I love following them on Facebook. They are very exciting!
Launched in 2016, Better Angels is a bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify our divided nation. By bringing red and blue Americans together into a working alliance, we’re building new ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of the nation.
Bridge Alliance. This organization is working to connect organizations with similar missions that relate to civility and democracy, in order to give all of those organizations a stronger voice. They have grants!
Bridge Alliance is a growing movement of more than 80 civic action organizations working individually and together to transform the political terrain…Bridge Alliance members work to transform the political process, from elections to governance, so the American people are heard loud and clear. Our organizations reform how elections are run, encourage elected and appointed officials to govern in the public interest and enable everyone to more easily and thoroughly engage in policy debates and civic life.
Politics, Facts, and Civility. (Update: no longer online.) This small local group, based in Gettysburg, PA, has been meeting since 2017 for civil discussions of political issues. See this heartwarming NPR piece for more information.
Spaceship Media. This organization helps journalists wield their power for good, through fostering civility as well as rebuilding public trust in journalism.
Careful listening and empathy are vital to supporting meaningful civic dialogue and easing polarization and we believe journalism is essential in that process – which ultimately strengthens our democracy… We use Dialogue Journalism, a method we developed, to work with media companies across all platforms to support them in deepening their relationships with the communities they serve.
Fun Activity: An Online Civil Dialogue Bot!
“How to Have a Conversation With Your Angry Uncle Over the Holidays” from The New York Times (November 18, 2018). Try to develop the ideal response to an online program that starts the conversation with, “Hey, it’s the Angry Uncle Bot. I have LOTS of opinions.”
And Finally, A Little More Humor…
“‘We Can Have Differences of Opinion And Still Respect Each Other,’ Says Betrayer Of The One True Cause” from The Onion (May 1, 2018). The title says it all, but the article’s pretty funny, too.
