About a week and a half ago I spent a weekend with a Trump-voting family. At no time did I bring up politics, even when the subject was broached by a member of said family. I just listened and came away with these observations:
- The family came across as quite welcoming.
- Simple people. I don't mean that in a bad way. They just didn't require much to be content. If the Thesaurus gods were aware of them, they'd be the first listing for antonym under the term high-maintenance.
- It appeared as though one was highly reluctant on staying tuned in to the every day happenings in the country, let alone the world, and the other was satisfied getting his/her news from Facebook.
- They came across as educated in general, but ignorant when it came to the world of politics (one of them at least).
- Their favorite word appeared to be taxes.
- Oddly enough, it seemed as if they have received governmental assistance for quite some time.
- Without rationalization, both uttered their disdain for liberal filmmaker/documentarian Michael Moore.
- One came across as a born-again Christian, who seemed to relate all good things to "God."
- The born-again Christian was passionate about animal rights, but seemed to take issue with minorities and the LGBT community.
- Both came across as quite outdoorsy, at least at some points in their lives.
From a political perspective, I saw reasons for hope and hopelessness. The family I felt largely represented many far-right Trump supporters in this country, or just far-right conservatives in general. They came across as kind, welcoming, and perhaps willing to listen to a voice from the other side of the political spectrum, so long as it was the right voice - meaning a cool, calm, and collected one; intelligent, but not condescending; relatable. On the downside of things, they also came across as possessing a hard exterior shell; set in their own ways; and more than likely unwilling to budge even if the so-called right voice came along.
This illustrates the difficult position many liberals and moderates face in attempting to engage in civilized discourse with the far-right. Often times when we bring up critical thinking points such as fallacies, we're deemed "elitists" and "intellectuals" (yes, apparently those are bad things). If we bring up fact-checkers, we're told said fact-checkers are liberally-biased. We have to speak with passion, but not too much. We have to find that perfect balancing act between simple/intelligent, relaxed/passionate, and adding a healthy dose of relatability to the mix. This is far easier said than done, as no matter what point of theirs we debunk, chances are good we'll be dismissed. It seems the only way we're able to reach them is by making a positive point of our own, to which they can directly relate. No, not everyone is a storyteller, but we sure as hell can all try.
- The family came across as quite welcoming.
- Simple people. I don't mean that in a bad way. They just didn't require much to be content. If the Thesaurus gods were aware of them, they'd be the first listing for antonym under the term high-maintenance.
- It appeared as though one was highly reluctant on staying tuned in to the every day happenings in the country, let alone the world, and the other was satisfied getting his/her news from Facebook.
- They came across as educated in general, but ignorant when it came to the world of politics (one of them at least).
- Their favorite word appeared to be taxes.
- Oddly enough, it seemed as if they have received governmental assistance for quite some time.
- Without rationalization, both uttered their disdain for liberal filmmaker/documentarian Michael Moore.
- One came across as a born-again Christian, who seemed to relate all good things to "God."
- The born-again Christian was passionate about animal rights, but seemed to take issue with minorities and the LGBT community.
- Both came across as quite outdoorsy, at least at some points in their lives.
From a political perspective, I saw reasons for hope and hopelessness. The family I felt largely represented many far-right Trump supporters in this country, or just far-right conservatives in general. They came across as kind, welcoming, and perhaps willing to listen to a voice from the other side of the political spectrum, so long as it was the right voice - meaning a cool, calm, and collected one; intelligent, but not condescending; relatable. On the downside of things, they also came across as possessing a hard exterior shell; set in their own ways; and more than likely unwilling to budge even if the so-called right voice came along.
This illustrates the difficult position many liberals and moderates face in attempting to engage in civilized discourse with the far-right. Often times when we bring up critical thinking points such as fallacies, we're deemed "elitists" and "intellectuals" (yes, apparently those are bad things). If we bring up fact-checkers, we're told said fact-checkers are liberally-biased. We have to speak with passion, but not too much. We have to find that perfect balancing act between simple/intelligent, relaxed/passionate, and adding a healthy dose of relatability to the mix. This is far easier said than done, as no matter what point of theirs we debunk, chances are good we'll be dismissed. It seems the only way we're able to reach them is by making a positive point of our own, to which they can directly relate. No, not everyone is a storyteller, but we sure as hell can all try.
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