Tag: conversation

As part of its “Can We Talk?” programming, the Pennsylvania Project for Civic Engagement brought Philadelphia residents from various age groups, careers, and political beliefs together Saturday to discuss how to have civil dialogue with people they might disagree with. The Penn Project has been hosting structured civic-dialogue workshops since 1995. That prompted discussion of how to create a conversation in which students could talk about politics from different viewpoints in a way that was constructive and productive. “The people that come are obviously a self-selected audience, and they are hungry for constructive political conversation,” said Sokoloff, who is also a Penn professor. “We also structure the conversations to start with personal story and then go in more deeply,” Sokoloff said. But in her response, she hoped to understand where the driver was coming from, so she asked what it meant to him to contribute to humanity. “I would be interested in asking questions like, ‘What do guns mean to you?’ ” Muniz said. “‘What value or what is important to you about having a gun?’ To kind of clarify the stance, the personal level, without inserting my own judgment on it.” Sokoloff pushed the table to go deeper into Muniz’s questioning: How would you ask someone who feels connected to guns about whether there should be limits or controls on gun ownership? “Things like that, to get them thinking beyond themselves, because I think when people think within their immediate families, it’s really easy to find security there.” Steven Scott Bradley, who runs a commercial-insurance brokerage in Philadelphia, said the range of age groups — from recent college graduates to retired individuals — helped bring a wide array of perspectives to his table. What are questions we can ask?

Learning how to have healthy conversations is the first step in finding meaning and compromise in relationships with conflicting ideals. She added that learning how to better communicate can lead to happier familial relationships and a better sense of meaning in one’s life. The popular answer from both surveys was simple and clear: Americans say that family is the thing that gives them the most meaning in life. Pew discovered that while family is important to most Americans, there are a plethora of sources that also provide meaning to Americans’ life. With so many different things important to different people, one can see why forming understanding around these things can be difficult. Pew found that Americans with higher incomes find friendships, health and travel as important sources of meaning. Evangelicals and black Americans are the most likely to find religion as a source of meaning, while atheists find meaning in activities and finances. In 2019, younger Americans also are finding less meaning in religion. Although politically conservative Americans often find meaning in religion, liberals tend to find meaning in creativity and philanthropic causes. The tendency in a conversation is for an individual to try and make the other person see them and that it is important to listen first, ask questions and try to understand rather than just getting angry.

Economy not good. ‘Reward Work, Not Wealth’ reveals how the global economy enables a wealthy elite to accumulate vast fortunes while hundreds of millions of people are struggling to survive on poverty pay. It would cost $2.2 billion a year to increase the wages of all 2.5 million Vietnamese garment workers to a living wage. Across the world, women consistently earn less than men and are usually in the lowest paid and least secure forms of work. Oxfam is calling for governments to ensure our economies work for everyone and not just the fortunate few: Limit returns to shareholders and top executives, and ensure all workers receive a minimum ‘living’ wage that would enable them to have a decent quality of life. At current rates of change, it will take 217 years to close the gap in pay and employment opportunities between women and men. Oxfam estimates a global tax of 1.5 percent on billionaires’ wealth could pay for every child to go to school. Results of a new global survey commissioned by Oxfam demonstrates a groundswell of support for action on inequality. “It’s hard to find a political or business leader who doesn’t say they are worried about inequality. They want to see workers paid a living wage; they want corporations and the super-rich to pay more tax; they want women workers to enjoy the same rights as men; they want a limit on the power and the wealth which sits in the hands of so few.

The Oro Valley Republican introduced House Bill 2002 in the Legislature last week. If it passes, teachers could face consequences as severe as losing their jobs for engaging in any “political, ideological or religious” advocacy or discussion with their students. Finchem said in the bill that spending time on political and ideological topics in school can lead to student “indoctrination” and that teachers should focus more on teaching students how to think, not what to think. Local educators interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star said they already teach students how to think, not what to think. Finchem declined an interview request from the Star, but told The Arizona Republic the bill was a direct response to his constituents’ concerns about politics in school — not the #RedForEd movement. Johnson, who has taught for 10 years, added that the majority of teachers she knows and works with don’t “indoctrinate” their students with their personal political and ideological views. State law already bars public and charter school employees from using school resources, including personnel, to influence the outcome of an election. Freed taught middle school for 15 years in the Tucson Unified School District before assuming his role at TEA. He thinks refusing to discuss controversial issues with students would reflect poorly on teachers. Many states, including New York, Idaho and New Hampshire have state-mandated codes of ethics for educators.

The Oro Valley Republican introduced House Bill 2002 in the Legislature last week. Finchem said in the bill that spending time on political and ideological topics in school can lead to student “indoctrination” and that teachers should focus more on teaching students how to think, not what to think. Local educators interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star said they already teach students how to think, not what to think. Doug Ducey and the Legislature to increase teacher salaries by 20 percent over three years, and to restore $100 million of the $386 million in capital funding for education that Ducey had cut. Finchem declined an interview request from the Star, but told The Arizona Republic the bill was a direct response to his constituents’ concerns about politics in school — not the #RedForEd movement. “Any response to what teachers may say or may not say — I think they’re very threatened by us at this point,” she said of lawmakers. Johnson, who has taught for 10 years, added that the majority of teachers she knows and works with don’t “indoctrinate” their students with their personal political and ideological views. State law already bars public and charter school employees from using school resources, including personnel, to influence the outcome of an election. He thinks refusing to discuss controversial issues with students would reflect poorly on teachers. Many states, including New York, Idaho and New Hampshire have state-mandated codes of ethics for educators.

“Ask questions, and don’t argue,” she said. '” Actively listen to the answers with a goal of understanding the other person’s point of view, she suggests. Someone disagreeing with you in no way diminishes you or your opinions, according to McClain. “Make your goal to increase your understanding, not to change someone’s mind. Loma Nevels, co-chairwoman of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission, said she believes family and the spirit of Thanksgiving should take precedence over any political discussion. “This helps focus such a discussion more on ideas and not on personalities. “Don’t talk about politics,” he said. “Politics need to take a side step, and be left out in discussion for Thanksgiving,” Shubat said. Wheeling resident Dolph Santorine said the loved ones in our life just have to take precedence over how we feel government-funded health care. “I don’t say a word, but she does,” Santorine said.

ONA - When the bell starts Don Scalise's Advanced Placement Government class, it rings as if to spark an ideological boxing match between his 12th-grade students at Cabell Midland High School. There's no trick to tiptoeing around current events - in fact, doing so is a disservice to the students, he explained. "You have to talk about things that you know will make students feel uncomfortable," Scalise said. Each class, students walk in to a new question written on the board, prodding at the sensitive issues of the day before the main lesson begins. Abortion, immigration, civil strife and the current administration are often topics of argument, each opening up a student's predisposed ideologies for the contention or affirmation of their peers. The key isn't to minimize argument, but to control it. "I don't think grown-ups handle that as well as students do, because they know they can still be your friend and still talk to you even though I might be crazy about this one issue." A 32-year veteran teacher, Freeman said it's the access to information, not the students themselves, that have changed to promote confrontation, friendly or otherwise, in today's climate. "You've got to talk about the edgy stuff because that's what's out in the world today." Friendly arguing and defending ideology isn't a chore for eager students looking for an arena for discussion.

The following are excerpts from a May 31 meeting between Sen. Lisa Murkowski and the Anchorage Daily News editorial board. And so I was kind of like, "What adviser should I talk with?" And so I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just call him myself." And so I got a number that somebody else had — so I called, and the president answers the phone. I was on this end of the country, and I was just waking up, because I thought I was going to get a voicemail or his secretary. And that's kind of how we have approached the issues that we've been working on. There have been subtle things that I can deal with, and that has been part of the reality — but not some of the levels of harassment that would have held me back, from a career perspective, or that have been so threatening or intimidating that they have altered a course. And it's important for the women, and it's important for the men. I think it's important to watch your words. And sometimes I really don't like how he says things, and the manner in which he does it.

Tuesday afternoon county judge candidates John Cook and Ricardo Samaniego went head to head in a debate ... well sort of. The event called Pints and Politics held conversations between the two candidates that didn't necessarily cover hot button issues for the county. In a rather unusual venue for politics, atop the fifth floor of the Indigo Hotel, poolside coupled with some drinks, candidates Cook and Samaniego nearly sat side by side. We talk about the moment they become interested in politics and ultimately what they learned in politics that they didn't know before," Pineda said. The talk started with where the candidates grew up. Samaniego lived near the Jefferson area with nine siblings. Inclusiveness is going to be one of the most important things we'll see going forward in El Paso," Samaniego said. Cook hails from Bronx, New York, and attended a seminary. He said he left because they didn't let him listen to the Beatles. "What I taught them really was about hard work and dedication and striving toward a goal and achieving that goal," Cook said.

Nearly 300 academics and activists gathered over a weekend recently at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague for an extraordinary, highly animated conversation about ‘authoritarian populism and the rural world’. What, then, does the rise of such different forms of authoritarian populism mean for rural peoples around the world? Many themes emerged. Authoritarian populisms The term ‘authoritarian populism’ we used to frame the conference was intensely debated. The need for a new narrative to counter authoritarian populism, one that is popular, inclusive and progressive was a common call across the event. Religion and moral solidarities Religion was a common theme; one not often discussed in gatherings on agrarian issues. With such repressive closing down, how can emancipatory alternatives emerge? There was much talk too of the importance of cross-class mobilisation and the importance of intersectional analysis and organising. But the challenges of generating and sustaining alternatives are very real. Our focus is on the rural origins and consequences of authoritarian populism, as well as the forms of resistance and variety of alternatives that are emerging.