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Effective techniques to reduce political division


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2021 Feb 15, 10:10pm   1,411 views  15 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (55)   💰tip   ignore  

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/01/healing-political-divide

“Existential fear appears to be at the heart of what drives polarization,” says Kirk Schneider, PhD, adjunct faculty at Saybrook University in California and Teachers College, Columbia University in New York.

“One reason we tend to become fixated and polarized is because of individual and collective trauma that associates with a profound sense of insignificance,” says Schneider. In this state, people may feel that they don’t matter and fear “ultimately being wiped away or extinguished,” he adds...

“Some of this divide is a matter of perception,” says Tania Israel, PhD, ... “Most people are not on the extremes of any of these issues, but most of what we hear is from people who are more on the extremes.” ...

One way to mitigate the divisiveness is to physically bring people together in safe, highly structured dialogue groups...

He notes that post-workshop surveys among 1,800 participants in a dialogue organization called Braver Angels found that about 79% of the participants felt that they better understood “the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of those on the other side,” and that they, in turn, felt better understood. About 75% of participants felt less angry and less estranged toward those on the other side following the workshops, and about 80% felt that they were “more able to start constructive conversations” ...

We must also let go of our tendencies to want to bring someone to our own side of the political divide. “People are married to the notion that they can change minds—this almost always isn’t true,” says Safer.

Furthermore, she reminds us that we don’t always have to be drawn into an argument. “Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to just walk away,” says Safer.

She also cautions that social media limits our ability to have effective conversations. On social media, says Israel, “people feel like they’re having conversations with people, but they’re not really interacting as full human beings.” She recommends that we should be having political conversations “face-to-face rather than Facebook-to-Facebook.”


Perhaps the real reason for masks and extreme over-reaction to Wuhan Virus is the desire of politicians to keep people from physically talking to their neighbors and understanding them better, keeping everything online where there is more profit for billionaires and less possibility for real understanding. Politicians thrive on division.

Comments 1 - 15 of 15        Search these comments

1   Patrick   2021 Feb 15, 10:14pm  

This place looks like they have the right ideas:

https://braverangels.org/
2   Onvacation   2021 Feb 16, 6:59am  

Patrick says
Perhaps the real reason for masks and extreme over-reaction to Wuhan Virus is the desire of politicians to keep people from physically talking to their neighbors

So it's like a gag.
3   Patrick   2021 Feb 16, 2:10pm  

Lol, yes, a mask is very much like a gag.
4   FarmersWon   2021 Feb 16, 2:18pm  

@patrick
"Critical Thinking" is must for understanding the red/blue con-game of elites.
Unfortunately high education and wealth makes people often lose common sense common with blue collar workers.

I am sorry to say that I know people who are very educated and still neck deep in this divisive game and I have no hope for them to come out.
Only thing I can do with them is lose friendship if I try to pull them out as they need no help.. They are happy there.
5   Patrick   2021 Feb 16, 3:35pm  

@election2020 You might enjoy this article:

https://medium.com/incerto/the-intellectual-yet-idiot-13211e2d0577

The Intellectual Yet Idiot
7   NDrLoR   2021 Jun 10, 9:03am  

Patrick says
You might enjoy this article:
I did.
8   Patrick   2021 Jun 10, 10:03am  

https://notthebee.com/article/poll-shows-that-71-of-democrats-still-believe-people-should-stay-home-as-much-as-possible-to-avoid-catching-covid

Poll shows 71% of Democrats STILL believe people "should stay home as much as possible" to avoid catching Covid. ...

In contrast to Democrats, only 13% of Republicans are as terrified of living.

That's not a gap. that's a chasm.


How did Democrats get so utterly disconnected from reality?
9   mell   2021 Jun 10, 10:09am  

Patrick says
https://notthebee.com/article/poll-shows-that-71-of-democrats-still-believe-people-should-stay-home-as-much-as-possible-to-avoid-catching-covid

Poll shows 71% of Democrats STILL believe people "should stay home as much as possible" to avoid catching Covid. ...

In contrast to Democrats, only 13% of Republicans are as terrified of living.

That's not a gap. that's a chasm.


How did Democrats get so utterly disconnected from reality?


I have a hard time believing this even with leftoids, but assuming it's true it must be mostly younger ones. We live amongst many old white liberals (CA) and none of them seems to care about covid. OK, probably most if not all are vaccinated but they don't care about masks and go out every day and night. I'm not sure what the target demographic of these leftoids are who are so utterly disconnected that they need to be re-animated for life.
10   Patrick   2023 Feb 2, 5:59pm  

We really don't want to be like Argentina, which was so fucked up that people were "disappeared" by their government, and remains quite fucked up to this day.
11   AmericanKulak   2023 Feb 2, 6:02pm  

Patrick says


We really don't want to be like Argentina, which was so fucked up that people were "disappeared" by their government, and remains quite fucked up to this day.

Bullshit on India where it is. They have Corporate Socialist Globalist Congress vs. Hindutva basically with a few hardcore Communists and various separatists/Muslim parties.

India is actually a negative example of diverse cultural Democracy functioning. India is in the top 3 for "I don't want neighbors not of my caste/religion/language"
12   AmericanKulak   2023 Feb 2, 6:21pm  

The answer to Polarization is for the Left wing to parties to surrender.

The subtext of articles about polarization is basically: "Populists and Traditionalists must get over it."

Maybe Progressives should give up instead?
13   Onvacation   2023 Feb 2, 6:24pm  

There is hope.

Much of the reported rift in this country is between friends and family. The rift is caused by our government and media lying to us. Some, caught in an echo chamber of reinforced bias are ready to go to war. Others just want to convince the other side of the "truth".

Our hope is that we ARE friends and family. Even though our sociopathic governments seems hell bent on total control or elimination of us, we are the majority. We have hope, love, kindness, morality and the truth. They have lies and fear.
14   Shaman   2023 Feb 2, 6:30pm  

AmericanKulak says

The answer to Polarization is for the Left wing to parties to surrender.

The subtext of articles about polarization is basically: "Populists and Traditionalists must get over it."

Maybe Progressives should give up instead?


The progs never will give up. But their numbers can be thinned. Good thing we got this iatrogenic poison in their systems working to remove the “do-gooders” from this world permanently.
I’m convinced that most of the world’s problems begin and end with people trying to change it to be like whatever is in their imaginations.

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