These 2 govs spoke together in Ft. Collins last week. It’s a good idea, but may make little diff. It’s sad that division makes it in every nook of gov. About 10 years ago me & a friend went to an oil & gas symposium where the govs of co(?), wyo(r) & mt(d) shared a stage. About an hour in my friend said would you know who was a dem & who was a pub just by sitting here? Ans: no. Opinion: Disagree Better: As governors of Colorado and Utah, we want to tackle toxic polarization This movement is not about pretending there’s no difference between Republicans and Democrats. It’s about reminding Americans — politicians and voters alike — that there’s a healthy way to debate. Through public events, service projects and other efforts, Disagree Better is inviting governors to model a more positive and optimistic way of working through policy problems. The response has been great. Governors from both parties are appearing at events together, recording videos with political opponents, and coming to the table to seek bipartisan solutions to some of our most intractable issues.
I generally avoid any type of political talk with live humans. When I'm stuck in a place where I have no real choice, I try with everything I can to find some common ground. Start there, and usually leave it there, but it's a great start. Global warming: let's reduce pollution. Next: let's reduce dependence on foreign oil Borders: let's hold employers accountable / EVerify. Next: guest visas Deficit / spending: two Santa theory Etc. it's not hard to find common ground to work from, the problem is people get their siloed anger online and anonymously, then take those fortified beliefs with them and do their best to stay siloed in real life. Tldr: step outchyo silo
Thanks doc. It’s my view that working toward a civil political discourse should be our #1 priority. I don’t know exactly how to get there, but this sounds like a good attempt. As a start, I am hoping that we can just work to make Too Hot a small example of a community that tackles politics in a positive fashion. My meager efforts toward this end have rarely led to even the smallest successes, but I still think we can do it if enough of us decide to prefer kindness and sincerity to mockery and snark. On that note, Happy Thanksgiving to the TH community. Hope you have some good friends and family with which to share the day.
Yeah... and the first step is to recognize the absolute necessity rather than mocking the possibility...
I’ve done this enough to know you don’t “win” arguments. Most of the time people talk past each other. In the case where one set of arguments clearly and overwhelmingly exceeds the other, then the response is usually personal attack. I try to stay above the fray but I’m not always successful.
Thumbs up. I'd add about "borders" let's also try to put humans first. Our borders might be a nat sec issue, but it's a humanitarian issue. The exploitation of (siloed) outrage is imo the #1 force working against people coming together. Diminishes so much, from seeing the humanity of others in sharing this world to rational, sober thinking etc.
Best advice I ever heard from a work mentor (in sales): * Ask questions, * Tell stories. Making declarative statements such as "_____________ is the only way to do this" or "If we elect _____________ we will be ____________ed" usually goes nowhere. Second comment: you know what makes me more interested in listening to posters who disagree with me politically? When I read posts they make on the football sites about our program, defense, a play during the game and I find myself agreeing with them. Common ground. Now, we both could be 100% wrong; but, since I find myself agreeing with them in one area (football) I give them more latitude in another (politics/world events).
