Notices by Alexander Karn (xankarn@mastodon.online), page 2

Is there any functional difference between a gerontocrat in cognitive decline and an inveterate liar, who is too weak and egotistical to confront truth directly?

One struggles to communicate what democracy requires to problem solve. The other simply refuses to face reality because it impinges on his program of graft.

One may have the best interests of others at heart, while the other clearly doesn’t.

But outcomes seem to align. A country in free fall.

-Return to fact-based discourse.
-Expertise married to ethical commitment.
-Disentanglement from corporate lobbyists.
-An ethos of service.
-A REAL populist spirit (not an oligarch masquerading as such).

New leadership would be a step in the right direction.

We will need:

-Mental acuity.
-Commitment to social/public good.
-Honesty and fortitude to face difficult facts.
-A program of justice to hold bad actors accountable.

Here's the project that interests me most:

"Defusing the History Wars: Finding Common Ground in Teaching America's National Story"

https://www.historyperceptiongap.us

Learned about an interesting org today, MORE IN COMMON, whose mission is to understand and combat the forces driving social fragmentation and political polarization.

I'm especially interested in the work they've done on history education (i.e.. using history to build bridges and mediate difference) but there's lots here to mull over for non-history nerds.

#uspol #democracy #history

https://moreincommonus.com

"For example, more than twice as many Democrats agree that all students should learn about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution advanced freedom and equality than Republicans think (92 percent versus 45 percent). Similarly, about twice as many Democrats believe students should not be made to feel guilty or personally responsible for the errors of prior generations than Republicans think (83 percent versus 43 percent)."

"Many Republicans believe most Democrats want to teach a history defined by shameful oppression and white guilt. Many Democrats believe most Republicans want to focus on the white majority and overlook slavery and racism. But we found that both impressions are wrong. These perception gaps between how each party perceives the other present a dangerous level of overstatement."

"One of our most notable findings is that both Democrats and Republicans alike grossly overestimate whether members of the opposing party hold extreme views. We call this a ‘Perception Gap’ — the gap between what we imagine an opposing group believes and what that group actually believes."

"In a stark example, the proportion of Republicans who agree Americans have a responsibility to learn from our past is three times more than Democrats perceive it to be (93 percent versus 35 percent). Similarly, more than twice as many Republicans think schools should teach our shared national history as well as the history of specific groups such as Black, Hispanic and Native Americans than Democrats think Republicans believe (72 percent versus 30 percent)."

"Democrats have large perception gaps when it comes to understanding how Republicans feel about teaching about failures in American history or about civil rights movements."

This divergence increases as you move further out on the political spectrum. IOW, divergence regarding the past is greater b/t "progressive activists" and "devoted conservatives.

"For example, when asked whether America needs to do more to acknowledge past wrongs, white Americans are less likely than non-white Americans to agree: 51 percent of the white Americans we surveyed agreed with that statement, compared to 79 percent of Black Americans, 73 percent of Hispanic Americans, and 78 percent of Asian Americans."

There are also "points of divergence." The two biggest, according to MiC, are:

1. How to draw connections between past injustice sand present day conditions.

2. How much emphasis should be given to presenting history of minority groups.

This is no small thing, but it's also important to see that there is a significant degree of agreement in the center, where most Americans self-identify.

"A full 97 percent of Progressive Activists agree the country needs to do more to acknowledge earlier wrongs, whereas just 9 percent of Devoted Conservatives agree. The wings are similarly divided as to whether “Lingering on the past prevents us from moving forward.” A full 94 percent of Devoted Conservatives but only 11 percent of Progressive Activists agree with this statement."

We do need a conversation about how silence, indifference, and disengagement are working to aid and abet the far right.

There's a dangerous clique in power. We have to fight them. But don't let them become a screen where we project inaccurate conclusions about "America."

Note:

Some may object that "building bridges" with the far right is unrealistic or imprudent. A seat at the table requires commitment to certain core values. Etc.

I agree.

The point of the data above, though, is that we're sometimes convinced that these undemocratic, illiberal voices are representative of half the country.

They're not. Loud, yes, but mainstream, no.

What does it all mean?

What are the policy implications?

Where do we go from here?

I have my own ideas, but these matter less than the need for dialogue and discourse.

If Americans aren't willing to discuss these things together, we'll likely continue down the same road of fragmentation, polarization, friction, and enmity.

The MAGA nostalgia thing leaves me cold, but I’ll admit I’d like to see shame make a comeback.

The more I ruminate, the more this strikes me as something bordering on rape culture.

“If you don’t want to be denigrated and harassed, then don’t come to the workplace.”

I know they changed the headline, and I know the interview focuses on feminism rather than women, but it doesn’t erase this contemptible misogynist trial balloon. https://mastodon.online/@xankarn/115502660561219938