A chance to practice civil discourse

Dialogue with someone you disagree with is inherently risky. The level of risk increases the more connected you are to that person. Friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances – we don’t want to ruin these relationships by bringing up potentially divisive topics. It’s understandable why we may avoid this kind of civil discourse while still wishing we wish we saw more of it in the world.

Our friends at Braver Angels have an opportunity for you to practice dialogue with someone who may not share your political views, but who shares your commitment to civil discourse. Through their 1:1 conversation project, they match you with someone with different politics, provide a framework for conversation, and leave the rest up to you.

It’s a chance to participate in civil discourse, that’s low risk, but high reward. It allows you to learn more about how your ideological opposites view the world, and share your perspective with them, without risking personal relationships (but while possibly building new ones!)

But don’t take my word for it, hear some testimonials from people who’ve tried it themselves and sign up to try it out:

I connected with someone with different political views than myself. The discussion was respectful and engaging. We connected as two people who love their country and want to help. The experience was so different than what I see on the news. 

I feel so much better about the state of the country when I know that there are people like the one I connected with in the conversation. I bet there are many more people like this in the US. I encourage anyone to find out for themselves through a 1:1 conversation. You will feel better and less anxious – at least I did.

– Steve Saltwick, Red

I had not realized how incredibly judgmental and dismissive we Blues can be / are.  To realize what an impact that has on a person as precious as my friend — basically suppressing open expression of herself — was profound.  It affected how I view others and will not be forgotten — thank you so much.

Dona Sauerburger, Blue

_{Photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash}