I attended an online workshop put on by Braver Angels (https://braverangels.org), an organization that seeks to depolarize American politics. The workshop is called Depolarizing Within: Becoming a Better Angel in Your Own World. It teaches you how to find your own polarizing speech even when talking with like-minded people. It called out 4 markers of polarization: stereotyping, dismissing, ridiculing, and contempt. That’s when it hit me. Those are also characteristics we warn against as being bigoted. Polarization and bigotry both show a lack of respect for the “other,” for those people, for people who are different.
Sounds like you got a lot out of your workshop on Saturday. Your summary was easy to understand, especially the similarities between bigotry and polarization.
ReplyDeleteYour adoring sister Elaine
PS you did not write about the use of sarcasm.
:) Nor did I use personal examples
DeleteI read the workshop summary you sent. Liked it. Similar to the book I just read, Caste:The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Credit goes to Mom and Dad for how we were raised. However, the book describes certain baked-in attitudes we may have without totally being aware of them.
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