Duluth News-Tribune: Saying ‘Those people’ isn’t helping. Grassroots nonprofit aims to ease political disagreements

By Melinda Lavine | full article here

Braver Angels group helps political parties work together. A workshop is planned for Feb. 10 in Duluth.

Imagine ending a political debate today with: “You’re a fellow American. You’re a thoughtful person, and I want to better understand where you’re coming from.”

…

“They’re trying to teach ways to have vigorous disagreements without attacking people personally,” she said. “When you understand where people are coming from, that’s where you can create constructive compromise.”

That dehumanizing element is causing a lot of problems on the topic of politics, said Pat Devries, Braver Angels Minnesota co-coordinator. “We tend to say ‘Those people,’ and ‘They do this,’ but that’s not helping.”

“Democracy is, in some way, one continued argument,” Doherty said.

Read the full piece in the Duluth News-Tribune.

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A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said.

Duluth News-Tribune: Saying ‘Those people’ isn’t helping. Grassroots nonprofit aims to ease political disagreements

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