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A subject, not an object [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-08-12
A friend of mine recently approached the Republican booth at a local street fair. “I’m a Democrat,” he said. “But I don’t want to argue with you. Neither one of us is going to change the other’s mind. I just have a question for you.”
The Republican eyed my friend suspiciously, but nodded “Go ahead.”
“Is there any possibility that we could try to bridge the polarization between us?”
The two talked back and forth for a while and really didn’t come up with a path forward. In reporting on the conversation to me afterward, my friend said that the two sides are clearly operating with a different set of facts.
At one point he asked the Republican if there is anything that would make him decide that his guy – UNOWHO – is unfit to be president. The Republican replied, “If you can prove that the things you say about him are true, then I’d have to find someone else.”
My friend was depressed when he told me what happened. I couldn’t think of much to console him. However, I don’t think that his effort was in vain. By initiating the contact, my friend conveyed to the Republican that he is a subject, not an object; meaning he is a human being, deserving of respect. I don’t think the Republican will easily erase the memory of the enemy treating him as a subject rather than an object.
There are two take-aways from this episode in my mind:
What if each of us were to replicate my friend’s action? Of course, your expectations would have to be zero. You’re not going to change anyone’s mind. But the mere fact that you listened will mean that you have regarded that person as a subject, not an object. There will be tiny degree of realization on the part of the Republican that you are also a subject; not visibly, but it will be there.
The real facts about UNOWHO need to penetrate the Foxnews blackout. We have a golden opportunity with the 2020 election trial. Jack Smith has about as slam-dunk a case as it gets. It needs to be on TV! Tell your reps to get it on TV. Are you worried that UNOWHO will make it into a media circus? That’s already happening anyway. Judge Chutkan will make the courtroom into an island of calm, factual exposition.
Are either of these two actions going to flip massive numbers of votes? No. Could they cause people to question their preconceptions and peel off a few voters? I think yes.
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