Can we talk? Greg DeVries and healthy democracy

We are becoming a nation of people who don’t talk to each other. A survey last October by the Pew Research Center found that 53% of Americans say talking about politics with people they disagree with is “stressful and frustrating.” That’s up from 46% in a similar survey two years earlier.

That’s a distressing phenomenon. On one level, it threatens to weaken communities. I’ve met many people over the last two years who said they won’t broach politics with their neighbors – or who won’t talk to their neighbors at all – for fear of the conflict that might ensue.

On another, it’s just bad for democracy. When we stop exploring our differences, when we resist listening to those with whom we disagree, we tend to fall into an us vs. them trap. Civil discourse collapses. Polarization, tribalism, and distrust take over civic life.