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How to Lower the Political Temperature
Article by Mark E. Rubin, Esq., recently published in Cardinal News:
Everyone says they want to lower the temperature of our public discourse. Yet, no one seems to know how to work the thermostat. Mediators know a little about lowering the temperature of disputes. They resolve conflicts by acting as third party neutrals with no decision-making authority, lowering the temperature. Here are a few tricks of the trade.
Don’t think of disagreements as ‘fights’ but as arguments.
The distinction between arguing and fighting is important. According to Jay Heinrichs, author of “Thank You for Arguing,” “In a fight, each disputant tries to win. In an argument, they try to win over an audience.”
The language of a fight is like a political campaign. The words chosen elevate one’s self and position while discrediting the other side personally and substantively. The language used in an argument are words of persuasion. In too much discourse today, we have substituted disrespect and distrust for words designed to bring someone over to our side.
There can be no voluntary resolution of a dispute unless both sides agree. Beating someone around the head and shoulders with fighting words rarely persuades. To continue reading, click here.
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