December 5, 2007This Week in the World: What would you like to know about how to talk to your political opposite?
I am planning a new blog about how to have reasonable dialog about political issues with people we care about who hold different views from our own. It will apply SpeakStrong principles to our personal political conversations. It won’t be about party, politicians or pundits. It will be about how you can talk to your neighbor, sister or colleague without getting into a fist fight.
What questions do you have about political dialog? Would you like to know what to say when someone forwards you a virulent political email? Would you like to know how to respond when someone goes off on a hostile political rant? Is there something you’d like to know how to say?
The blog is many weeks away. Your input now will help me define my purpose. Please post questions here.
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Please let me know if you have any interest in learning how you can actually create a nation which allows for different views and life choices. I have designed the first truly democratic constitution which is available on the site mentioned above. We are in a changing world and the rate of change is so fast that no person or nation is in charge anywhere, at least within the industrialized part of this world.
The time has come for this world to change how it seems to plan for its future and unless we want to prevent the significant reduction in the human race that has started to happen today we had better focus on a joint and open road to proper change.
Oh, by the way if my website is too much to handle take a look at my blog http://www.democraticroad.com. Also, if you would like to discuss what I have designed please respond and I will give you a call.
Comment by David M. Gage — December 12, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
I’m interested to hear strategies folks have employed to re-route political discussions they don’t want to have.
Some at work are vocal in sharing their strongly-held views on politics and/or religion. Regardless of my personal view on the topic, I prefer not to talk politics or religion unless it relates to the work at hand. It seems a high-risk conversation with limited potential benefit.
My father’s family regularly enjoys Socratic and roundtable debates hashing out such topics, whereas my mother is genuinely pained by such conversations and tends to escape. Her beliefs stem straight from her core and she gets genuinely upset when challenged or asked to explain them. She believes what she believes and doesn’t want to defend or explain them, nor does she seek to convert others. When others don’t share her position, she struggles to understand and avoid judging them; thus, she’d rather not go there, particularly with loved ones. Debating with dad’s side can be fun, but I respect mom’s needs enough to avoid the subject when she is in the group.
*Without knowing who at work needs what on such touchy subjects, I’d rather not go there either. How can one communicate that effectively?
Comment by Karen — June 24, 2008 @ 3:40 pm