Is it helpful to call someone "complicit"?
Will aggressive statements backfire or help?
Activists argue about how hard-hitting to be: Is reform not enough? Will stronger statements backfire? Do weaker statements betray the cause? If this were a sign for a cause you had not been convinced about, would it reach you?
Much of America is upset at the looting that has happened in the wake of George Floyd's murder by four police officers. Police have been using chemical agents of some sort — I keep hearing denials that these are tear gas, so apparently some other chemical, to disperse the looters.
You don't disperse looters, do you? Looters disperse themselves. Looters steal things and run away, right? Firing canisters of noxious gas at someone running away with a tv won't stop them running away. Police are supposed to be arresting people who break into stores.
People are saying it's life vs the economy. That we should let coronavirus keep spreading and sacrifice some our grandparents so that young people can work. Yes. people being unable to work is a disaster in the US. People are living paycheck to paycheck and unlike Europe the government is not coming to the rescue. People are locked up with their abusers. Depression and suicide will increase. Everyone knows, everyone agrees.
But here’s the real question:
Are you willing to let less people die to get the shutdowns over faster?
Do you have parents whose favorite media is trying to get them killed, and you still care? Or do you want to create consequences for people who endanger lives, and see them lose the next election? This page is intended as an evolving resource guide for both health information and political information intended to cross the partisan divide.
Right now I'm using:
a classroom, with the kids in the back blaming each other.
Much of California is sheltering at home. With CV19 in an exponential growth curve, this is the difference between jumping off a cliff and not jumping off a cliff. Please follow the guidelines — and also note, we chose not to jump off the cliff. We did the right thing, and most of us get to exchange a bit of cabin fever and economic woes instead of real fever and panic.
Draft: comments welcome!!!! Originally written March 20, 2020
As I write this, the Bay Area — oh, faster than I edit, California too — is in "shelter in place" while Governor Cuomo in New York is fighting back as New York City aims to do the same.
###DRAFT###
Cognitive Politics is a book, blog and community dedicated to more effective political conversations across political divides. We need you:
The left-vs-right political spectrum has been an informative model to understand politics for more than a century, so we're still trying to use it. But it is mostly dated, at least for anyone who might swing. It's not that swing or undecided voters are between left and right: they are not using this model anymore. Left-vs-right is of fading importance, and nothing clear is taking it's place.
No other issue costs Democrats the votes of compassionate voters the way choice|abortion does.
There is no other issue where we so desperately need to have a "big tent" for people who see the world differently, to use progressive communications styles with active listening — and no other issue where we could burn our big tent down by making the wrong compromises and failing to stick to our frame.
I'd like to start with an imagination exercise:
