What Now? (Part II)

Almost exactly four years ago, the main article in my newsletter was entitled "What Now?" I was unsurprised by the results of the 2016 election, discouraged by what I perceived as a step backward in civil discourse, and hopeful about the opportunity that it presented.

​I concluded with this sentiment:

Let’s regroup, support each other, and find strength in our shared values. Let’s not retreat into our echo chambers. Instead, let’s take this opportunity to talk about politics at the dinner table, in schools, in social settings, and in other places where it is too often taboo in American culture. Let's create opportunities to participate in difficult conversations. Let’s continue to fight for the values and ideals that we hold dear, by engaging those who think differently than we do with respect, humility and genuine curiosity.

Not doing so – or worse, engaging in reactive anger and hatred – will not help us achieve our goals; it will only serve to deepen the divide. And that is something none of us can afford to have on our conscience. Four years later, the shoe is on the other foot. And it is apparent that most of us did retreat into our echo chambers, that we did not engage in difficult conversations, and that the political divide is deeper than ever.
However, the sentiment quoted above still holds, perhaps now more than before. As we enter the holiday season in the midst of a worsening global pandemic, I am deeply saddened to see so many of my friends and colleagues once again struggling with how to talk to loved ones on the "other side" of the political aisle.

This time, I offer links to a few resources, and perhaps some food for thought in the personal note below:

• Article: "Conversations on Polarizing Topics Are Possible. If You’re Up for It, Here’s How to Start" (Caitlyn Finton, Behavioral Scientist)
  
  
• TedEd: "How to talk to people you disagree with" (Elizabeth Lesser)
  
  
• Article: "These 526 Voters Represent All of America. And They Spent a Weekend Together." (Emily Badger and Kevin Quealy, The New York Times)
  
  
• Article: "Americans Don't Need Reconciliation – They Need to Get Better at Arguing" (Eric Liu, The Atlantic) 
  
  
• Article: "Keeping It Civil: How To Talk Politics Without Letting Things Turn Ugly" (Caroline Kelly, NPR)

On a Personal Note

Some of my readers will remember my Irish colleague and friend Dr. Treasa Kenny, who has presented at the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference, alongside Deirdre Curran and Alec Coakley, on at least two occasions. Treasa is the program director at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for Conflict Intervention at Maynooth University, and she invited me to speak to her class of undergraduate law students in mid-October. During our conversation to catch up on personal news and prepare for the lecture, we strayed into the topic of democracy and the concept of a Citizens' Assembly.

Here is an excerpt from a June 2018 article in the Irish Times, which gives you a flavor of the power of a Citizens' Assembly:

​Democracy cannot simply be the process of counting ballots after a shouting match. True democracy requires that people make informed decisions, guided by the best available evidence, freed as far as possible from the bullying and badgering of special interests. [...] Even non-partisan observers appeared stunned that a group of completely ordinary Irish people could, having listened to submissions from all sides, and guided by independent experts, come to conclusions so completely at variance with the stated positions of every major political party.