Difficult Dialogue: Depolarizing Conversations

On Nov. 6, Elon Volunteers! hosted their November Institute, a space where students who work for EV! come together to listen to a guest speaker and engage in conversation surrounding a specific theme. 

In light of the 2020 presidential election, ideas of compassion in relation to collective action, community, and civic engagement were discussed. 

At the institute, Cate Podell, director of civic engagement for EV!, presented a simple question: how do I talk to people about politics?

“Political opinions, ideology, and beliefs derive from how we are socialized,” says Podell. “In order to have constructive conversations, we must make an effort to understand the other person's background so that we can understand why they believe what they do. Once this ‘why’ is established, it is much easier to come to collective action.” 

The Braver Angels’, a movement dedicated to bringing liberal and conservative individuals together at the grassroots level, approach to depolarizing conversations with like-minded people consists of four steps. First, one should listen to the other individual engaged in conversation while aware of body language and non-verbal cues. Then, acknowledge the other individual by validating their concerns, particularly if you agree with their points. From here, pivot into offering context for why you are choosing to share another perspective. While doing this, use “I” statements to frame the conversation. Lastly, offer another perspective through discussion surrounding difference in background, diversity in opinions, or flaws in your “side’s” opinion.

When engaging in dialogue with differently-minded people, depolarize the conversation by considering goals for the conversation and understanding implicit biases. Avoid personal attacks of judgements, and rather recognize the difficulty in open and respectful conversation. Expand on echo chambers you may be a part of and consider expert opinions on topics you are passionate about. 

“When it comes down to it, what we're really talking about is respect. It can be very difficult to respect different political views than you hold, so the best way to begin to break down those barriers is to ask questions about background and upbringing––essentially socialization. When we break down these barriers to understand each other, or when we use kindness and compassion rather than cruelty and judgement, we are much more likely to find areas of agreement and this is how we come to solid collective action,” she adds. 

Podell emphasized the importance of attempting to depolarize political culture during this polarized time as college students.

“We know that Elon students very much reflect the political division of this country which means that we should prepare for a more polarized student body when we receive election results,” she says.

40% of Elon students identify as “middle of the road” on the political spectrum, while around 20% of students identify as conservative and around 35% identify as liberal.

“That said, Elon also looks very different from this country. People in the U.S. tend to group by political affiliation as evidenced by the cities that are overwhelmingly blue and the more rural areas that are overwhelmingly red. How Elon differs is that we have the entire political spectrum represented in a couple square miles. Because of this, we cannot simply just mute the other side. If we want to stay here and get the most of our education and college experience, we must find a way to have constructive conversations… the only way for us to move forward in a constructive and civil manner is to understand each other and engage in difficult dialogue,” continues Podell.

However, this does not come without difficulty. 

“I do want to acknowledge how difficult these conversations are because especially in a time where politics are so personal and often do have a very real impact on our lives it can be hard to even consider hearing out the other side,” Podell says. “And just to be clear, I am not talking about ideology that invalidates, devalues, or otherwise discriminates against any identity. Those are not opinions, they are bigotry. It is a particularly tumultuous, exhausting, and scary time so it is also okay if we need to take a step back and surround ourselves with like-minded people right now. We all need to take care of ourselves and if that looks like not having these conversations for a little while, that is okay. Eventually though, we do need to begin to engage again so that we can continue to grow as individuals and as a community.” 

As we are one Elon community, building relationships despite differences is key.

“While it can feel impossible to give validity to opinions we may find abhorrent, the only way we can truly make our opinions heard is by creating space where others feel safe to share theirs. So while it may feel impossible or pointless, it is important to recognize that our Elon community is incredibly diverse and in order to move forward and make constructive change, we must have civil and respectful conversations,” Podell advises. 

For more resources, visit Elon Votes post-election resources.

Cover photo found here.