Leaders at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University are also partnering with the campaign. The Catholic institutions are leveraging its framework to foster better dialogue for students, staff, faculty and even trustees as part of their “Disagreeing Better” initiative.
Braver Angels’ co-founder is Bill Doherty, an emeritus University of Minnesota professor of family social science. As you might expect from his background, the organization’s work draws on the best evidence to foster healthy communications and relationships. An academic career that also included research on couples on the brink of divorce is helpful, too.
In an interview, Doherty said that those worried about deepening division have valid reasons to be alarmed. The political science is clear. “We have higher levels of affective polarization than we have had since the Civil War. It’s not just about issues. It’s about how we feel each other. Politics has become a big part of our identity: Are you red or blue?“ he said.
With that has unfortunately too often come an active dislike for those in the opposite group. That has consequences for friendships, family relations and the nation’s future. Bridging this is critical for the future. “Neither side is going to vanquish the other, so we better figure out how to get along and run the country together,” Doherty said.
The workshops and the Reduce the Rancor campaign cover a lot of ground but provide a particularly valuable reminder to distinguish between viewpoints and the person holding them. It’s OK to disagree, but “you can believe that a viewpoint is completely wrong without believing that the person who holds it is stupid or ill-motivated,” Doherty said.
Yes, that sounds like common sense. But as rhetoric escalates and voters want to see their team win, a refresher course on others’ humanity is a public service. Minnesota’s embrace of Braver Angels’ work is also commendable. The state has six alliances (or chapters) in both the metro and rural locations. There are 108 alliances nationally, Doherty said, and the organization is adding about two per month.
