Thank you for posting this. I was at a deliberative democracy retreat a few weeks ago, and a speaker discussed some of the challenges he faced in Montana as he tried to get people together to discuss a project related to a river. If he wrote the word 'environment' in the announcement, then he could not get conservatives to attend. He sent out different announcements using the word 'environment' in some places and something like 'thoughtful land development' elsewhere. Simply removing words that, as you mentioned, are often Republican or Democrat coded was enough to bring people together. They tried to find some common ground, which started out with everyone agreeing they liked to drink clean water. From there, they were able to build on that fact.
Another person there mentioned that she had no luck reaching a compromise in areas where legacy pollution and power were entrenched, even though she consistently used the principles of deliberative democracy to address the issue. She kept track of the number of people who died in the area, which was highly concentrated, but the folks with power needed to be moved. However, her group was able to block a similar situation from occurring in Indianapolis when she made her case to them.
You may be correct that if this can help us focus on policy, it can get us off of labels. Still, looking at Austria and France, no form of government is without its challenges, of course.
Thanks for that example -- it's a perfect illustration of my point. Also thanks for the reminder that every voting structure is imperfect , pretty much the way most of life is. Finally thanks for the term 'deliberative democracy,' which I hadn't thought of in a while.
This was most thughtful and reasonable, I believe. The introduction of the DRUTMAN square opened for me new doors and options. I am one who wishes the pularl vote was the one nd only deciding vote. The electoral college needs to be eliminated.
"That all-too-familiar line flattens our thinking" - great point and Important topic! Dualisms have always served well to confound thinking and to obscure other options for both action and thought.
I lived in Toronto one sabbatical year. To learn more, I read historical fiction. I was struck by how often your neighbor to the south -- the US -- played a role, was part of the context.
I also noticed that in almost everything I read, someone froze to death. A point I gather Margaret Atwood made before me, in "Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature." About which I'll never have anything to say. But I do stand in awe. Thanks for reading.
I am avoiding political news on the radio and TV. I can cope with it in print but certain voices (no prizes for guessing whose) are making me anxious about the state of our democracy. BUT I have the opposite reaction to this blog. It is balm for the politically frazzled, and sustenance for minds tuned to rationality. Thanks.
Thank you for posting this. I was at a deliberative democracy retreat a few weeks ago, and a speaker discussed some of the challenges he faced in Montana as he tried to get people together to discuss a project related to a river. If he wrote the word 'environment' in the announcement, then he could not get conservatives to attend. He sent out different announcements using the word 'environment' in some places and something like 'thoughtful land development' elsewhere. Simply removing words that, as you mentioned, are often Republican or Democrat coded was enough to bring people together. They tried to find some common ground, which started out with everyone agreeing they liked to drink clean water. From there, they were able to build on that fact.
Another person there mentioned that she had no luck reaching a compromise in areas where legacy pollution and power were entrenched, even though she consistently used the principles of deliberative democracy to address the issue. She kept track of the number of people who died in the area, which was highly concentrated, but the folks with power needed to be moved. However, her group was able to block a similar situation from occurring in Indianapolis when she made her case to them.
You may be correct that if this can help us focus on policy, it can get us off of labels. Still, looking at Austria and France, no form of government is without its challenges, of course.
Thanks for that example -- it's a perfect illustration of my point. Also thanks for the reminder that every voting structure is imperfect , pretty much the way most of life is. Finally thanks for the term 'deliberative democracy,' which I hadn't thought of in a while.
This was most thughtful and reasonable, I believe. The introduction of the DRUTMAN square opened for me new doors and options. I am one who wishes the pularl vote was the one nd only deciding vote. The electoral college needs to be eliminated.
I agree. Life is full of nuance. The National Popular Vote would also be a step in the right direction.
"That all-too-familiar line flattens our thinking" - great point and Important topic! Dualisms have always served well to confound thinking and to obscure other options for both action and thought.
Thoughtful piece. I am mesmerized by American politics because it has such as outsize impact on the world.
I lived in Toronto one sabbatical year. To learn more, I read historical fiction. I was struck by how often your neighbor to the south -- the US -- played a role, was part of the context.
I also noticed that in almost everything I read, someone froze to death. A point I gather Margaret Atwood made before me, in "Strange Things: The Malevolent North in Canadian Literature." About which I'll never have anything to say. But I do stand in awe. Thanks for reading.
I am avoiding political news on the radio and TV. I can cope with it in print but certain voices (no prizes for guessing whose) are making me anxious about the state of our democracy. BUT I have the opposite reaction to this blog. It is balm for the politically frazzled, and sustenance for minds tuned to rationality. Thanks.
I write to work ideas out for myself, and in the hope I can help readers think, to some extent, from new perspectives. Your appreciation buoys me.