2y ago

Reducing Political Polarization by Respecting Human Dignity

www.discoursemagazine.com

I'm posting this in Conservative because Discourse Magazine is produced by The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a conservative think thank.

It's always fascinating to me when reactionary institutions produce pieces like this.

In her new book “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” Alexandra Hudson makes the case that these trends are real and disturbing. But she argues that addressing the merger of politics and entertainment and the politicization of the quotidian doesn’t require big, elite-driven social change. Rather, it begins with each of us—and daily decisions we make about how we relate to others.

28 comments

Here’s something to consider in regards to civility in politics
Should anyone be civil to nazis?
- That depends. Can you name any nazis? How do you define or identify a nazi?
  
  Found the nazi
- Ah yes, Nazis, surely the most relevant political movement of our time
- Well depends what a Nazi is. Few people limit it to just 1940s Germany.
- Personally, I'd say so. It's a common leftist trope that nazis are just fundamentally bad people that deserve death.
  In contrast, I think most nazis people are redeemable. Nazi-ism grows in a certain environment. Outside of that environment, it dies in the crib because it's unsustainable.
  
  Nazis believe in the wholesale extermination of entire groups of human beings who deserve their own life, dignity, and happiness. I do not respect a belief system that advocates for the extermination of jews, trans people, gay people, people of color, or any human being based on their religion, culture, ethnic background, or sexuality. I will absolutely respect any person for their beliefs no matter how poorly informed, so long as that person accepts that people who are different than them--ALL people--deserve all the same rights, protections, and opportunities that they fight for themselves.
I honestly can't tell if this is an ad for the book, the spark notes, or something else entirely.
- A book review.
But the article aside, the main issues are ones we all know. (GOP vs DNC)
Dems murder babies. That is cartoonishly evil.
Dems want to disarm us. That is insidisously evil.
Dems want to let in everyone north of the Darien Gap. That is idiotically evil.
Dems want to force leftism onto our kids. That is spreading evil.
I can go on, but it turns into smaller and smaller issues.
Dems continue onto act like they're the good guys, and we're the bad ones. Its straight up lying, and you can't fix a failing relationship with lies.
- Jesus christ do you really believe that?
  
  Yes.
- Not a single one of those points is accurate or true. You are deeply misinformed about leftist goals.
- the article aside
  That's the problem.
  “Civility,” she writes, “is a disposition, a way of seeing others as beings endowed with dignity and inherently valuable.
  In contrast, you say that Dems are evil.
  And how does one deal with evil? Do you makes deals with evil? Compromise with evil? Deliberate with evil? Exist along side evil? Say hi to your evil neighbor as you go about your day?
  No. In fact, you do the exact opposite. You destroy and extinguish it every chance you get.
  You and a lot of Republicans do not respect other people as people, but think of them as evil. You, like specifically you, and everyone else that think Dems as a group are evil, are, by definition of the article, uncivil. You do do not value Dems as people with differing views on how to achieve things we all have in common. You think they're out to quite literally destroy civilization on behalf of Satan or whatever.
  Interestingly, what is rule #2 of this instance?
  Be civil: disagreements happen, but that doesn’t provide the right to personally insult others.
  Be civil.
  I'm not sure what that means here.
  Dems continue onto act like they’re the good guys, and we’re the bad ones. Its straight up lying, and you can’t fix a failing relationship with lies.
  You're right. If you believe Dems are evil, then you're lying to yourself.
  Ngl, it takes a lot for me not to hate Republicans, too. It'd be easy to. But part of not hating them is just not wanting to. Like, Republicans are a part of my family and my work life. Why would I want to hate these people? It seems asinine to hate people merely because they're Republicans. The other part is not caricaturing them, also known as intellectual integrity. Thinking people are evil can only happen if you don't talk to them. Sure, psychopaths exist, and they are evil, but most people aren't psychopaths. They're just regular people who wants wants best for them, their family, and their little corner of the world. Some of think abortions saves lives and preserves autonomy, others think it murders babies. Neither view is evil in any meaningful sense of the word. And the people who hold either view probably aren't evil either. But it takes understanding why people believe what they believe from their mouths to truly understand that.
  I disagree on yours points 1-4, but I don't think you're evil. And I don't think you're misguided or a fool or "voting against your interests", or whatever stupid ass thing weak-minded Democrats come up with assuage their insecurities either. I think your experiences have led you to believe the exact opposite of me. That's all. And that's fine.
  
  For the record, there is no compromising with baby murderers. It is the single most evil thing you can do, except for maybe torturing then murdering.
  But for the rest, I do think a lot of the average proponents are just victims of propaganda. Look at all the studies into gun violence and all the mass shooting headlines, all proclaiming its the tool and not the person, all propaganda, and no one (including me) is immune to propaganda. Leftists think gun control is a good thing. Similar thing with illegal immigrants, propaganda and the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
  So there is hope, that some will change their minds.
  And I do appreciate that you don't think of us as evil.
- Republicans want to force children to have babies. Evil. Republicans want to institute a theocracy. Evil. Republicans want an ethnonationalist state. Evil Republicans hate gay people. Evil (to me). Republicans rape and pillage the planet for short term profits. Evil.
  See how easy that is? Just saying shit is evil doesn't make it evil.
  Because you, to me, are evil. But you don't think you're evil.

28 comments