![]() "It really is going to have to be a constellation of answers," he says, "that we come up with together and ideally sparks a social movement." In fact, there is no single answer to restore our fractured republic, Coleman says, even if states did away with gerrymandering or Donald Trump retired from public life. "All of those factors contribute to this, and you're not going to change all that behavior with an encounter." ![]() "Just meeting with other people, particularly once for a short period of time, is insufficient to changing people's attitudes, habits, the media they watch, the internet that they serve," he says. A recent paper by a group of political scientists concluded that the Red/Blue Workshops "significantly reduced polarization" among undergraduate students at four universities, though the results dissipated over time. "That's for me the big one."ĭoherty is a Minneapolis family therapist and professor who modeled the workshops on his counseling experience: get antagonists to meet face to face. "People come to see others on the other political side as having more common values and aspirations for the country than they had imagined," he says. The workshops are open to anyone, so participants self-select.ĭespite the narrow demographic, co-founder Bill Doherty maintains it's working. Braver Angels admits this is generally the profile of attendees across the country. 7, 2020, in Austin, Texas.įor one thing, this group is uniformly white, gray-haired and college educated. But with the nation facing such deep and bitter polarization, is that enough?Īustin police work to separate supporters of President Donald Trump and supporters of President-elect Joe Biden as they protest near the state Capitol on Nov. The formula is simple: invite political opposites to sit down, talk civilly and listen to each other. It's one of hundreds of local and national groups that have popped up in recent years to try to heal America's toxic divisions. This so-called Red/Blue Workshop is put on by a nonprofit called Braver Angels that stages encounters and debates all over the country as a way to reduce political polarization. ![]() The countryside is dotted with epithets like "F*** Biden" and "Impeach Crazy Joe." Letters to the editor have gotten incendiary. Since the election, MAGA is still potent here. ![]() During the campaign, there were raucous Trump trains honking and hollering in the historic courthouse square. Here in La Grange - situated on the rolling prairie between Austin and Houston - folks voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. They volunteered to come out on a chilly night in February to engage in respectful conversations in hopes of building one small bridge across America's partisan abyss. A Red/Blue Workshop in La Grange, Texas, was put on by volunteers with the nonprofit Braver Angels, which stages encounters and debates all over the country as a way to reduce political polarization.Įditor's note: This story contains language that may be offensive.Įight Republicans and eight Democrats are seated at long tables in a nondescript community room in a conservative Texas town, with the ambitious assignment of restoring civility in America. ![]()
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