{"id":4929,"date":"2020-12-07T09:35:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T16:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/?p=4929"},"modified":"2022-04-21T18:15:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T00:15:55","slug":"what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/dialogue\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You (Too) Should Listen Deeply to Those Driving You Nuts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Editor\u2019s note: This is not a time of great empathy or curiosity across American differences, to say the least. That is what made this public appeal by Tracy Hollister, a gay woman who fought fervently for marriage equality (and a lifelong Democrat until she became an Independent this year), so striking. I have known Tracy since 2014<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having participated with her in <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flirtingwithcuriosity.org\/?m=201510\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a focused dialogue effort to try and span differences over sexuality and faith in America<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In 2015, she and I wrote about our experiences trying to bring people together across these divides in a Huffington Post piece entitled, \u201c<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/eating-hummus-with-the-en_b_6670096?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAC_KBKyoFfn69lrMLhSOIzIWqiw8LJ5aeC4TvAKgqHat_difkzlrcuY6hpZSYHyPBGYKQJlFYt7cFqN0Qaz7gQhq-nrcmlUQKsfJ__k9YI0qAyadQ4NqBruGBn85Up6VujEbTzljEStwIReaeFfChNhbNMXB2Am0VFoqc9jg85kS\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating Hummus With the \u2018Enemy\u2019: From Aversion to Affection<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the years, I have come to love Tracy deeply, and feel loved by her with equal depth. We\u2019ve spoken on the phone for hours, worried about each other&#8217;s families and health, and looked for excuses to visit in person. I find her a woman uniquely committed to truth<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wherever she finds it<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">even, remarkably, if it betrays her own assumptions and previous understandings.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen how much push-back Tracy has received as she\u2019s decided to share unsettling new insights with others<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and witnessed how emotionally rough that experience has been.\u00a0 For example, Tracy has stood up against the increasing trends of online censorship and for freedom of speech for dissenting and sometimes-banned voices. And, amidst the many legal challenges to the presidential election, Tracy has advocated for restraint among her left-leaning friends until the process plays out so that the vast majority of Americans<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including Trump voters<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">arrive at a place of much greater confidence in the electoral results, for the sake of our democracy and respecting our fellow citizens.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of this contributes to why Tracy\u2019s words below<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a composite of her public sharing between October 19 and November 3<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so compelling, poignant, and heartening.\u00a0 Especially at a time when many conservatives feel besieged in the public square, and ridiculed and censored online, her words are refreshing and hopeful.\u00a0 Thank you, Tracy, for modeling the kind of courage and curiosity that America so dearly needs right now. There is great suffering in carrying chronic resentment toward any group of people<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and you point the way forward not only in your words but in your personal example of many years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dear America, This should not be a controversial post, but if you believe in freedom of speech, fighting for the underdog, and in seeking to understand those who are different from you, you may enjoy it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the wake of another divisive election and likely uncomfortably long vote-counting period, I want to share some insights I was lucky to learn about conservatives in my work bridging political divides. I did this working for Living Room Conversations and attending a few Braver Angels events, and getting to know some conservatives personally. I share them in the hopes that some of you might feel and act better toward your fellow, more conservative citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This message can be for everyone, but my focus here is especially on those who have a progressive background or mindset, as our power and control centers on what we say and do, so we must look at ourselves and not get into &#8220;but they. &#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My hope is that we may be encouraged to break free from those who want to keep us artificially divided so that we can have greater connections with and understanding of the conservatives in our lives\u2014and be better for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-right pullquote-border-placement-left\"><blockquote><p>I learned that the enemy is stereotypes, not the people themselves.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a gay woman who has identified as progressive for most of my life, I was taught that I should be kind and compassionate toward most people\u2014underprivileged people, people of color, immigrants, EXCEPT one group which was to be vilified and \u201cotherized\u201d and even shut down: conservatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YET since I was from a group which got vilified and otherized by some social conservatives, I learned that what broke the spell of stereotypes was us LGBT people coming out and letting people get to know us as real people who, like them, deserved freedoms like the freedom to marry. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I learned that the enemy is stereotypes, not the people themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Likewise, I got to know many conservatives who I formerly stereotyped. I shared meals and conversations with conservative leaders who opposed my marriage equality work in North Carolina and nationally. I took part in a documentary (<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/oneloveequality.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One: A Story of Love and Equality<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) in which I got to know and was responsible for bringing the anti-marriage equality voices into the film, and I spent hours with other conservative friends in various dialogue efforts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through getting to know these conservatives in my life, I found that I actually liked and respected and even loved many of them. I concluded <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they deserved my curiosity and respect, not my prejudice.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 Here are a few other things I learned from these experiences:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1) The conservatives I personally know are kind, caring, and generous people who have different ideas about the role of government and how good of a job it (versus individuals) can do in taking care of our needs. Many share the same values as liberals but in a different priority order.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t believe all the stereotypes you hear about your political other by the media or those on your social media. They may be hyped up and just not true.\u00a0 Just as you know there are stereotypes about your group that are not true, consider that those ideas your group has about another group are also not true.\u00a0 We are all unique individuals, like everyone else. ?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-right pullquote-border-placement-left\"><blockquote><p>It simply takes will and courage to understand those who differ from you.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2) We need conservatives and their viewpoints. Truth is multi-faceted, and many times and in many ways, conservatives have valuable contributions, and their voices are important to bring to the table rather than put in closets of shame and silence (like gay people!).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3) Many conservatives feel so demonized, name-called, and \u201ctalked down to\u201d by self-righteous liberals (which I used to be) that they are reluctant to even engage in dialogue. To their credit, many liberals I know have learned to put their judgments aside and be curious and open.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may be hard, but make yourself proud by replacing judgment with curiosity, certainty with humility, contempt with kindness. Don&#8217;t wait for others to change first;\u00a0 be the change you seek.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4) When I got to know people on the right and was able to break out of my liberal echo chamber (in which I used to actively demonize people on the right), I felt a greater sense of peace and connectedness rather than separation and isolation from my fellow human beings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am a better person because I now have several conservative friends who treat me with respect. I am more in touch with how various people think and our ultimate \u201coneness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It simply takes will and courage to understand those who differ from you.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It&#8217;s simpler and less scary than you think.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5) Last year, I organized a public dialogue on immigration for CNN.com and Living Room Conversations <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/livingroomconversations.org\/video\/how-the-american-immigrant-experience-crosses-political-lines\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(shown here in this short video)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 As featured there, there is much to learn from some immigrants who have had first-hand and very negative experiences growing up in Communist and Socialist countries, and who are deeply concerned that the U.S. is moving in that direction.\u00a0 Many of these conservative-leaning immigrants are especially worried to watch our freedom of speech being squeezed through censorship and political correctness to restrict what can be said in the public square.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those like me who love free-thinking, dissenting, and respectful democratic debate should be concerned about what <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/greenwald.substack.com\/p\/my-resignation-from-the-intercept\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bariweiss.com\/resignation-letter\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bari Weiss of the NY Times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) say in their resignation letters about the internal censorship they faced in their publications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6) Although this may be challenging for some people to hear, I believe that certain people who seek global control and power are actively working to divide the United States through political, racial, and other forms of divisions. They have influence over the media and social media, and we are being manipulated by them and their fear-mongering. Don\u2019t fall for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-right pullquote-border-placement-left\"><blockquote><p>We can rise above the partisan rancor and step into our own power.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, intentionally befriend those with whom you are not \u201csupposed\u201d to be friends. It can be liberating to embrace political diversity. If you want to find a way to meet with those across the political spectrum and find a productive way forward, you can join a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/livingroomconversations.org\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Living Room Conversation here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or participate in<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/braverangels.org\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one of the many online programs with Braver Angels<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You can also<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/weaving.us\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">be a part of #WeavingCommunity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we focus on connecting as human beings and not political enemies, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">we can rise above the partisan rancor and step into our own power<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and out of the anger, fear, and hopelessness that comes from being played as pawns in someone else&#8217;s game of &#8220;divide and conquer.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7) Right now, those who hold views that are critical of powerful voices and viewpoints on political and health matters are being suppressed and censored. I know of dozens of YouTubers and Facebook accounts who have been taken down or deleted with little explanation.\u00a0 I know many others who are forced to play a dystopian game of Taboo\u2014literally have to talk around certain keywords that are not allowed anymore.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need these voices and the information they are trying to share. Allowing only one global view on anything\u2014even on sensitive public health matters like the coronavirus\u2014doesn\u2019t feel healthy and seems a significant threat to a free, democratic society. Now more than ever, we need progressive voices willing to stand up to support the freedom of speech and the right to dissent (like the late Justice Ginsburg did so well) of those who disagree, especially if those voices are conservative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is my way of doing just that. Please share\u2014if you dare\u2014and if you agree with what I said OR my right to say it without censorship and social backlash.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks for listening, thanks for caring about freedom and our country. And thanks for reading all the way to the end!\u00a0 Peace to you!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After another contentious Presidential election, Americans are feeling unsettled and angry.  If you\u2019re looking for a way to opt out of the rancor this holiday season, Tracy Hollister has some advice.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":4958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[472,498],"tags":[25,113,323,366,109,356,246,303,59],"coauthors":[430],"class_list":["post-4929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dialogue","category-tolerance","tag-dialogue","tag-disagreement","tag-freedom-of-speech","tag-moderation","tag-national-politics","tag-persuasion","tag-social-media","tag-truth","tag-unity"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why You (Too) Should Listen Deeply to Those Driving You Nuts - Public Square Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/dialogue\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why You (Too) Should Listen Deeply to Those Driving You Nuts - Public Square Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After another contentious Presidential election, Americans are feeling unsettled and angry. If you\u2019re looking for a way to opt out of the rancor this holiday season, Tracy Hollister has some advice.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/dialogue\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Square Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-07T16:35:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-04-22T00:15:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/meghan-schiereck-v-0LoAcQOeM-unsplash-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tracy Hollister\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tracy Hollister\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tracy Hollister\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9907f8b9b93d39771e4464b05dc35853\"},\"headline\":\"Why You (Too) Should Listen Deeply to Those Driving You Nuts\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-07T16:35:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-04-22T00:15:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1751,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/meghan-schiereck-v-0LoAcQOeM-unsplash-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Dialogue\",\"Disagreement\",\"Freedom of Speech\",\"Moderation\",\"National Politics\",\"Persuasion\",\"social media\",\"Truth\",\"Unity\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Dialogue\",\"Tolerance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/publicsquaremag.org\\\/dialogue\\\/what-happens-when-you-listen-to-the-other-side\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why You (Too) Should Listen Deeply to Those Driving You Nuts - 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