The 国产短视频College of Arts and Sciences鈥� (CAS) Democracy and Citizenship Speaker Series, co-sponsored with the Judy Genshaft Honors College, featured journalist and author M贸nica 骋耻锄尘谩苍 and ways to hold conversations with those of opposing political views.
Her discussion, 鈥淗ow to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times,鈥� held March 28 at USF鈥檚 Charles William Young Hall, was open to the public and filled the auditorium.
国产短视频student Sam Recheck (right) moderated the evening鈥檚 discussion. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
骋耻锄尘谩苍 is a Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, the nation鈥檚 largest cross-participant grassroots organization working to 鈥渄epolarize America,鈥� and founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build 鈥渁 more curious world.鈥�
Her book, "I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times" was a New York Times recommended read and she has been named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, serving twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes.
She鈥檚 also a Mexican immigrant and a proud 鈥渓iberal daughter of conservative parents,鈥� as she self-describes.
CAS Dean Magali Michael welcomed attendees to the discussion followed by Dr. Scott Solomon, associate professor and director of the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies.
鈥淢any of my colleagues are interested in the negative effects of partisan polarization,鈥� Solomon said during his opening remarks. 鈥淭onight鈥檚 event will provide us with important tools to help us have fearless conversations with those who think very differently than we do.鈥�
国产短视频senior Sam Recheck, a student in the Judy Genshaft Honors College majoring in philosophy and political science with a minor in economics and history and the founding president of the First Amendment Forum鈥攁 student organization hosting weekly discussions on contentious issues鈥攕erved as moderator for the discussion and Dr. Matt Reichel, assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication, joined the conversation as a panelist.
鈥淲e have plenty of research showing us that when one side of the political divide is asked to estimate the views of the other, they make gross exaggerations, wild misperceptions. And, it happens on both sides,鈥� 骋耻锄尘谩苍 said. 鈥淪o, the question becomes, how can we pretend to be informed if we're not informed about each other? If we're informed about the events of the world, but we're not informed about people's perspectives?鈥�
骋耻锄尘谩苍 stressed that such an increase in polarization creates a cycle of judgment with less engagement with others.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so polarized, we鈥檙e paralyzed,鈥� she said.
This polarization is the result of something 骋耻锄尘谩苍 described as 鈥淪.O.S.鈥濃�攕orting, othering and siloing.
She says sorting is our tendency to be around people who are like us, othering is our natural tendency to subtly discriminate and put distance between ourselves and anyone different than us, and siloing are the stories we hear and don鈥檛 hear accurately.
So, what can we do to overcome this? 骋耻锄尘谩苍 said curiosity is key.
鈥淚t鈥檚 asking the question, 鈥榃hat are your concerns?鈥� It鈥檚 not the 鈥榳hy鈥欌�攚hy is this your stance on guns? Why is this your stance on immigration? But, instead, what are you concerned about?鈥� 骋耻锄尘谩苍 said.
骋耻锄尘谩苍 said the simplicity of asking about concerns opens the door for deeper conversations.
The event also included an audience Q and A with the panel. (Photo by Anna Mayor)
鈥淧eople will say what they feel safest to say. They will say what they have seen on social media and say what others have taken shelter under. They鈥檒l give the processed stuff, but [you should] ask, 鈥榳hat else?鈥欌�� she said.
骋耻锄尘谩苍 also said a key element to engaging in difficult conversations is story sharing.
鈥淭here's research that shows that people understand each other's moral beliefs better when it comes in the form of a story, especially if it's a story about struggle,鈥� she said.
A key principle to having a conversation with others is the importance of making sure others feel heard, according to 骋耻锄尘谩苍.
鈥淧eople can only hear when they're heard,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need to be seen on some level to then feel like we can give that gift back.鈥�
骋耻锄尘谩苍 reiterated that 鈥渁nger is a force that protects what is loved.鈥�
鈥淗eat in a conversation is good, but the distinction is whether its burning or cooking something,鈥� she said.
When discussions are reaching that boiling point, she recommends taking a break from the conversation and to go back to it later.
She closed with a reminder that 鈥渃uriosity is contagious.鈥�
鈥淚n a dangerously divided world, if you are not curious, you鈥檙e not going to see the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e cannot rely on the default settings of our world right now. We must check and balance with actual conversations with real people or else there's so much we're not going to see. And curiosity begins by turning an assumption into a question. So, this is the great news, curiosity is not a personality trait. It's a practice.鈥�
The next Democracy and Citizenship Speakers Series on 鈥�Media Literacy and Information Quality in the Digital Age,鈥� will take place on April 18.