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Restore Civility: Hope for Better Understanding
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; 24 Jan 2022
Guest writers Glen White (gwhite@braverangels.org) and David Childs (dchilds@braverangels.org) are state co-coordinators of Braver Angels in Arkansas.
How are your new year’s resolutions coming? How about adding this critical resolution: “In 2022 I will commit to help restore civility to political discussions in America.”
If you, like most of us, are disturbed by the rancor and hostility that is increasingly evident in our country, you know that we need the help of as many citizens as possible to turn America in a positive direction. The danger of extreme political polarization and societal incivility, not only here but around the world, is real.
Political scientists and other professionals have noted a persistent relationship between high polarization in a society and degradation of its democratic institutions. Continuing down this path jeopardizes democracy and freedom for all of us. More of us must resolve to help turn down the political temperature.
There is hope that we can turn things around in our pursuit of “a more perfect union.” Braver Angels, as the largest and most effective U.S. organization working to reduce polarization, provides education and skills training to promote more civil, respectful conversations across the political divide.
Braver Angels has been working in Arkansas since 2017 to spread the word about how people with different political beliefs can communicate effectively with each other, often resulting in finding some common ground. Once enough of us adopt this approach, voters will become more likely to elect persons to office who seek common ground as a basis for compromise on many of the serious problems we face today.
Our politicians face pressure to act in highly emotional, partisan ways, even when it might be at the expense of problem-solving for the greater good of all Americans. Voters must help support those in government who are willing to work across the aisle where common ground can be found, and we must start holding them accountable for solving problems, instead of prioritizing polarized partisan tribal battles.
We heard an encouraging story recently from a past participant at one of our local Braver Angels skills workshops that provided training in skills for engaging those of differing political views in effective, civil conversation. Those skills include listening to understand the other’s point of view, describing one’s own views clearly but respectfully, and committing to improving the communication exchange, not to changing the other’s beliefs.
The woman described with excitement how she was able to use her new skills during a recent holiday family get-together. Some of her favorite kin, who had long shared similar political views, had changed their opinions, and she found that distressing.
Yet, remembering the skills that she had learned, she resisted the urge to try to criticize them or change their minds and instead used her new skills for communication to better understand their viewpoint, while also effectively conveying her own. Initially, they did not trust her to genuinely listen to their viewpoints, but she calmly persisted with her new skills by showing a genuine interest and even asking follow-up questions.
They eventually exchanged enough information to understand each other better and to some degree even empathize with some common viewpoints. They agreed that a major problem was politicians and government officials who are more devoted to maintaining power for themselves and their party than in solving problems for the country. Attendees at Braver Angels workshops routinely express surprise at the amount of agreement they find with other participants of differing political persuasion, especially developing a better awareness of how the other person came to have their views. They realize that most of these people with differing views are human and not the evil or clueless caricatures they initially assumed.
We encourage citizens and elected officials to take this approach. Being willing to compromise on areas of common ground is the basis for how our democracy was designed to work, and we need to encourage more of it.
Arkansans who are distressed by the division and disrespect in our state and country can help to bring our country back from the brink. Resolve in 2022 and beyond to learn and use skills to engage with those of differing viewpoints and join Braver Angels in our work to improve the state of our union.
To learn about our work in Arkansas and upcoming events, visit our website at arkansas.braverangels.org or go to the national website at www.braverangels.org and join for $12 a year. That will get you on our state email list and you’ll gain access to our newsletter and email announcements of events. We also welcome the chance to present to groups, churches and organizations about our work, or to provide a full workshop.
Maybe you’ll even learn how to rescue that failing relationship with a family member or co-worker whose political stance you don’t think you can accept. That is a resolution worth making.
With Respect
Guest Editorial by Glen White & David Childs of Braver Angels Arkansas
Published in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, August 26, 2023
What do Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandala, Mother Teresa, and Jesus have in common? Gandhi, known for his peaceful approach, gained independence for India with his message of non-violent resistance. Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid in South Africa, and despite being imprisoned for 27 years, he emerged with a message of forgiveness and unity. Mother Teresa showed immense love and respect for every person she encountered, regardless of their background or circumstances. Jesus espoused love and forgiveness as his central message, resulting in Christianity, one of the world’s great religions. They all succeeded despite strong adversity and resistance because their civil treatment of others earned admiration and support in their persistent pursuit of their goal, not because of loudly, aggressively trying to impose their goal on enemies. Remember, the tortoise beat the hare in the race because he was quietly persistent.
Such positive, peaceful approaches are increasingly rarely seen in our political conversations. As the United States becomes intensely polarized along political lines, it has become more difficult for people to have civil conversations about important issues. Instead, we see more name-calling, insults, and even threats of violence. We seem determined to win the argument or “own” the other side with a loud, confrontational, and aggressive response. This is not only harmful to our democracy, but also to our individual and societal well-being. The other main response is to withdraw and avoid talking politics at all. Yet civil conversation is essential for a healthy democracy. When people talk to each other respectfully, even when they disagree, they are more likely to find common ground and work together to solve problems.
Braver Angels (BA) is a non-partisan organization with members from all across the political spectrum who seek to bridge the partisan divide and promote civil conversation. We encounter some skepticism about our philosophy of promoting respectful, productive conversations, because of the mistaken belief that such an approach only works if you are moderate politically or that this approach allows the more aggressive person to “win” a discussion. Some think that to be respectful is to treat all viewpoints equally, declining to advocate for a particular political viewpoint, candidate, or policy. None of this is true - partisanship is not precluded in Braver Angel’s approach. While our leaders cannot in their official capacity take positions or advocate for or against specific parties, candidates, or policies, most BA members have strong political beliefs that they may share with others. Many are active in their private lives advocating for specific candidates or policies.
This 'civil communication' approach is effective, more so than aggressive communication that alienates others. In a recent study, participants in Braver Angels programs reported feeling more understanding of people with different political views and more hopeful about the future of our country. Strong evidence also exists for the effectiveness of using sound relationship-developing techniques in many areas. Therapists use and teach such skills to help couples or families improve their relationships. Hostage negotiation experts use similar skills because they are more effective in securing a peaceful outcome than aggressive demands. Evidence also shows that interrogation of terror suspects is more effective through relationship building techniques than with torture or force.
So, do you have strong partisan beliefs and want to make a difference? Do you fear that the fate of our country depends on who prevails in the next election? Then understand that helping your country survive and thrive doesn’t require you to be louder or more hostile than your opponent. Resist this emotionally based response of aggression or demonization of the other and instead, respectfully engage with others. Finding common ground through good-faith exchanges is more important than “winning” the political argument. This approach can lead to a more informed and engaged electorate, and ultimately to better policy decisions. It may not help with extremists on either side, but most of us within the middle two thirds of political views will respond to this measured approach.
Braver Angels works toward civic renewal in America through skills workshops and facilitated conversations across the political divide, with a goal of helping participants understand each other's perspectives and finding common ground. We believe that Americans must work together to get things done, despite disagreements on specific approaches. We can each be passionate in our advocacy, but following the BA philosophy means to practice good communication and conflict resolution skills, listen with genuine curiosity, and remain civil in asserting our views. To make progress in our democratic republic, it is essential that we treat each other with respect.
To learn more about Braver Angels or to help in their mission, visit the Arkansas alliance website at arkansas.braverangels.org, or contact Glen White at gwhite@braverangels.org or David Childs at dchilds@braverangels.org.
Braver Angels Hopes to Instill Fruitful Dialogue 12/21/2021
By LEWIS DELAVAN
Staff writer
Re-printed from the Hot Springs Village Voice
A Villager believes that respectful conversation on serious issues will produce better results.
David Childs became involved in Braver Angels about 9 months ago after learning about it from a friend. After researching the organization, which promotes civil conversation between people with divergent views, Childs attended the Arkansas Chapter’s next Zoom meeting.
“I liked the people involved; felt confident that they were sincere and serious about the Braver Angels’ mission; so I decided to get a bit more involved,” Childs said in response to an email.
The national organization’s name comes from the first inaugural address of the nation’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, at a time when political discourse was anything but civil.
“The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature,” Lincoln urged a nation poised on civil war.
Launched in 2016, “Better Angels” changed its name to “Braver Angels” in 2020, "to reflect the courage needed to bridge the divide."
It aims to bring together conservative-leaning and liberal-leaning Americans in a working alliance, through programs and workshops.
Childs, who enjoyed a career in local government in north Texas, says working together produces results. “Civil conversation promotes more conversation, more substantive, detailed and serious conversation. We have become a society that spits emotional anger and bumper sticker distortions at each other, causing many people, especially those who have something of real substance and value to share, to just shut down and no longer participate in dialogue," he said.
“Braver Angels is about restoring an atmosphere where serious, substantive discussion of issues can occur in a respectful environment. Such an environment is sorely needed if we are once again going to become a society that can civilly share our collective wisdom to solve our nation’s challenges,” Childs said.
He tells how he become involved on the state level.
“At the Arkansas Chapter’s next Zoom meeting, they started talking about how to conduct marketing and additional member recruitment,” he said. “I made several suggestions that they liked, so they outvoted me and made me membership director. "
Jeannie Burris leads the Arkansas Table Talk.
"The Arkansas Central Region covers Hot Springs and The Village; currently it is the only Chapter in Arkansas. If I do my job as membership chair, there will be more chapters soon," Childs says.
Braver Angels is a 501c3 non-profit group. Membership dues are $12 per year. Learn more about Braver Angels and become a member at www.braverangels.org or by texting BA to 66866, or, on Facebook @braverangelsarkansas.
By paying $12 a year to join Braver Angels via the national website ( www.braverangels.org), you qualify to be a voting member of our local alliance, Braver Angels of Central Arkansas.
To be involved or to volunteer, one must be a member, but the public is welcome to join Braver Angels programs and workshops, and there is no cost for attending any event, in person or online. "We also welcome clubs, organizations, churches, etc. who are interested in hearing from us, securing a presentation from one of our leaders, or who simply support our mission," the Arkansas chapter says.
Contact Glen White at gwhite@braverangels.org, for more information. Or to learn more about Braver Angels or to request a speaker for an organization, contact David Childs at fitforsrrvice@verizon.net.
Less than four years after his 1861 inaugural address, Lincoln implored citizens to come together, to ensure that those who had fought to preserve the grand experiment of a democratic constitutional republic had not died in vain.
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth," Lincoln concluded in his Gettysburg Address.
Co-director of field communications for Braver Angels National is Dr. April Chatham Carpenter, chair of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Applied Communications.
“Although I usually prefer working at the grassroots level, sometimes opportunities come along that allow you to serve and learn from leaders at a different level,” Chatham Carpenter said in a November UALR release. “That’s what happened here. I want to learn from the folks at Braver Angels National and do what I can to help further the mission of depolarizing America.”
“I believe that the work of Braver Angels helps bridge the political divide we face in our relationships and communities and is so important,” she said in the release. “The mission of Braver Angels is consistent with my department’s mission to foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication.”
'Arkansas Table Talk' to Kick Off in January 2022
Braver Angels of Central Arkansas is excited to announce its newest program, "Arkansas Table Talk," which will take place quarterly in 2022. "Arkansas Table Talk" will be an informal discussion of various local issues. The program is open to anyone, and attendees do not have to be present at all four sessions.
The first topic of discussion, homelessness, will take place Monday, Jan. 31 via Zoom. The session will be one hour long, from 6:30-7:30 pm. Braver Angels leaders will also be available for 30 minutes after (until 8 pm) to answer questions and/or continue the discussion with participants who can stay longer.
Those interested in participating in the January 31 discussion should email Jeannie Burrus at jburrusPcals.org or Glen White at gwhitebraverangels.org to receive the Zoom link. We also kindly ask that participants read the following articles on the topic of homelessness from three perspectives - left, center and right - prior to the event.
From the left: https://www,allsides.cominews/2021-05-14-0636/people-want-quick-fix-homelessiess-there-isn-t-one
From the right: https://www.theepochtimes.com/la-city-council-to-spend-2m-to-post-signs-for-anti-campingenforcement 4082682.html
From the center: https://www.allsides.cominews/2021-10-22-1119/they-dicInt-pay-rent-and-_stoie-fridge-pandemicspawns-nightmare-tenants
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ABC Good Morning America
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Minnesota State Fair serves as bipartisan common ground | GMA (goodmorningamerica.com)
Promo:
A South Dakota Republican and a Minnesota Democrat are working together to show that meaningful bipartisan dialogue can be accomplished.
Colleague of the Week
Colleague of the Week: Glen White
Dr. Glen White has an unusual problem – unusual for Braver Angels, anyway. He’s finding it hard to recruit fellow Blues for the alliance he helps to lead.
It’s not just because the Central Arkansas Alliance is, well, in Arkansas. Nor is it that there are no Blues to be found in this deeply Red state. They are certainly present in Little Rock, particularly around the metropolitan area’s colleges and universities and in its liberal-leaning organizations.
Glen, the state’s Blue coordinator, thinks the relative reluctance of Arkansas Blues to become active in Braver Angels owes something to a deep-rooted concern that engaging with “the other side” – even within the safe spaces afforded by the organization – will be taken as a sign of weakness or will somehow encourage more policies that they see as potentially harmful.
Translated: his challenge is identical to all those Braver Angels who strive to attract more Reds – and who are well aware that many Reds express comparable levels of distrust about meeting with the other side, much less discussing flashpoint topics with them.
Glen’s experience exposes a deeper and somewhat unsettling truth: Braver Angels has a lot more work to do to persuade those further left as well as further right that there is such a thing as a truly neutral, non-judgmental space where they can speak freely. “Maybe people on the edges see this as an existential struggle. Braver Angels tends to attract the two-thirds of people in the middle,” he says.
But he has the following comment for those in the outer third – particularly those out-of-reach Blues: “If you worry about supporting an organization that says it brings people together for civil discourse in the search for common ground, I ask you to consider the potential power of relationships in moving our society and culture forward.”
Right now, Glen needs a Blue co-leader for the Central Arkansas Alliance because he still occupies that role as well as working at a state level. The alliance job was his de facto role when he started with Braver Angels in 2017, after he helped convene a group of like-minded Arkansans. Several of those individuals trained to be moderators and began training others; soon the group was holding skills workshops and presenting on Braver Angels to libraries and local organizations. The members then coalesced into a formal alliance.
During 2020, the Central Arkansas Alliance thrived. “We really grew at the time of the pandemic,” says Glen. We made plans, we made presentations. The word got out, we got into the newspapers.” But that growth has proved difficult to sustain – as it has in other alliances around the country. Of the nearly 300 Arkansans listed on Braver Angels’ database, Glen estimates that those actively interested don’t number more than 80 or so – and the roster of active local leaders is smaller again. “We haven’t gotten to critical mass,” observes Glen. “There are no other alliances in the state.”
So it’s not an understatement to say Glen has an uphill climb ahead of him – especially as a state coordinator. A retired psychologist, he had started out in 2017 with a buoyant view of how he could help bring scientific methods to understanding what made political beliefs so entrenched and political change so hard, and to learning what approaches can work. These days, he is more measured in his approach, focusing on the value of incremental wins over time.
One of Glen’s real wins has been finding and recruiting Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter as his Red state co-coordinator. Although her full-time role as a professor of applied communications at University of Arkansas at Little Rock means she doesn’t have abundant time, she has, in Glen’s words, proved to be a godsend.
Together, Glen and April have been organizing Skills for Bridging the Divide, Family and Politics, and Common Ground workshops, along with structured 1:1 Red/Blue conversations and a Depolarizing Within session. He and his colleagues have a solid website to support the newsletters they send out regularly. And they are borrowing the fairly informal, unstructured “Coffee & Conversations” program that has proved to be so successful for the Central Texas Alliance and adapting it as what they’re calling “Arkansas Table Talk.”
The Table Talk format has real promise for re-energizing Braver Angels activity in the state, in Glen’s opinion. He and his colleagues are consciously designing the sessions to be as simple, short, and resource-lean as possible – quarterly and not monthly to begin with, just one hour long, and with none of the breakout sessions that require dedicated support and staffing at many other Braver Angels events. “At least for now, we’ll do it all as one big group,” says Glen. “We want to start out in an easy way, so we don’t have a lot of [resource] requirements.”
The first Table Talk, scheduled for January 2022, will focus on homelessness – a topic of nationwide concern and of real relevance in metro areas such as Little Rock. Again, the idea is to emphasize an issue that many local Arkansans care about and may be affected by, at least indirectly, rather than spotlighting an emotionally supercharged political theme such as voting rights or gun control. “We’ll start with something that’s not a heavy lift,” explains Glen.
Pandemic permitting, Table Talk can happen in person as well as virtually. And that will help spark, build, and sustain the personal relationships that are so integral to the success of any volunteer-run organization.
Ever onward, Glen
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https://www.datingadvice.com/for-men/braver-angels-helps-couples-see-past-politics
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Excerpt:
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