Atrocity, Anger and Civility
Sun 2018-06-10
Samantha Bee called Ivanka Trump a 'Feckless Cunt' for her role in enabling and covering for atrocious Trump administration policies such as separating parents and children, an insult which blew up, and became the story:
I would do anything to help those kids;
I hate that this distracted from them,
so to them, I am also sorry.
"Fire and Fury" is Gossip
adminFri 2018-01-05
I am skeptical that saying the president has lost it is and is "like a child" is helpful in an era of blue lies. We would actually do much better if we (liberals) steelman Trump — quite a job — but find something we can defend Trump against overreach, which at the same time makes the other accusations feel more real (it's no longer a spitting contest.) I think the accusation that "100% of the people around Trump…question his intelligence and fitness for office" is already being disputed by some people who would have to be in the 100%.
Ask Your GOP Rep: "Would you stand up to Trump if you knew you were retiring?"
adminFri 2017-10-13
Encourage politicians to find their spines.
Respectful Communication Technique: Ending with a Shared Activity
Thu 2017-10-12
Summary: Ending political conversations with an invite to participate in a mutual activity together seems to take the edge off.
Quick cross-partisan recommendation: Ask how their policy will work.
Stephen CataldoMon 2017-10-09
Questions are one of the most powerful tools for mind-changing conversations. Asking someone why they believe in something, encouraging them to list the reasons (so you can argue with their reasons) is not typically effective. Instead of asking someone why they believe in a certain policy, especially a complex one, ask them to explain how their policy will work.
Tension: Isolating Trolls and Keeping Your Voice
Stephen CataldoMon 2017-10-02
Two recommended communication techniques are to isolate trolls and to stick to your frame and values. These ideas are often in tension:
For example when neo-Nazis and white nationalists grab torches and march through our streets, we can isolate them and their supporters relatively easily, or talk about institutionalized and unconscious bias — where we have a lot of work to do before there is near-universal agreement.
But how do you frame the conversation?
Stephen CataldoWed 2017-09-20
George Lakoff talks about framing the issues: "protections," not "regulations." This article expands on George Lakoff's advice on framing.
Values and Pragmatism: A False Conflict Within The Democratic Party
Stephen CataldoTue 2017-09-05
What would it look like if the Democrats were more idealistic and stuck to their values with more oomph? What would it mean if they were pragmatic and tried to succeed even when we don't all agree about everything?
Framing Exploration: Nazis in America
adminSun 2017-08-13
A variety of flavors of American white nationalism are on the rise. The Republican President has waffled about how evil Nazis are, often comparing them to the people protesting them. The racism-apologist frame is that this is a free-speech fight. That people giving Hitler's sieg heil salute and Americans who oppose them, if they get into a brawl, are equally at fault.
Reframing “A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages”
Stephen CataldoMon 2017-07-24
The Democrats's new slogan is here, "A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages."
Let’s break this down: What is the frame? Who is the implied speaker? What does it assume about the audience?