đź“– Learn about confirmation bias and best practices when talking to others with differing opinions.
This topic came up at a recent meeting. We talked about the fact that we can't seem to get MAGA friends & family to even consider any other point of view. These two articles are brief and accessible. Â
Cognitive Biases and Brain Biology Help Explain Why Facts Don’t Change Minds. - Clear explanation of some of the brain chemistry that impacts our reluctance to change our opinions
You Will Never Win Your Political of Relationship Arguments - Key quote: "remember that aggressively pushing “facts” and accusations will not win anyone over. Instead, try to understand the underlying motivations and issues at stake, which is more helpful than arguing each other into deeper divides."
đź“Ł Talk to a Neighbor - conversation resources on many social justice topics
đź“– Read the Truth Brigade web page, part of the Indivisible website. It has some very practical suggestions to guide conversation focused on responding to disinformation. Â On the linked page scroll down to RESPONSES: BEST PRACTICES, and then below that is a wonderful set of engagement practices they call THE TRUTH SANDWICH.
đź“Ł Tips for Communicating with Government Officials (from former Hill staffer)
Face-to-Face can be very effective. Ask lots of questions and push for answers
Phone Calls, emailing, letters - Calls are what all the congress people pay attention to. Every single day, the Senior Staff and Senator get a report of the 3 most-called-about topics at each of their offices (DC & local) and how many people said what about each of those topics. They are sorted by zip code & area code. When you call:
Stick to 1 or 2 specific items per day, especially items that will be voted on/taken up in the next few days. But most importantly, JUST KEEP CALLING.
Be clear on what you want; "I'm disappointed that the Senator..." or "I want to thank the Senator for their vote on..." or "I want the Senator to know that voting in ______ way is the wrong diecision for our state because..."
This website created to provide citizens resources to help tend to our democracy and keep it healthy. Many of the events & organizations will be for Centre County, PA, but the "Get Involved" and the "Time to Learn" sections are helpful everywhere.
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