Polarization matters to Whitehorse
On May 1st, over 70 citizens showed up to the Grey Matters kick off event at the Gold Rush Inn. Organizers were blown away and had the ‘great problem’ of running out of food and needing more chairs. Clearly this matters.
Like-minded and curious citizens were invited to this public event to:
Better understand what polarization is (and isn’t), why it’s a growing problem, and how it shows up in Canada
(Re)build the muscle of respectful disagreement
Generate ideas for our community to reduce polarization and (re)build respectful discourse
At the end, participants were asked: what ideas and considerations would they offer in the spirit of "‘where to from here?’ Below is a synthesis of citizen ideas:
Active Listening and Empathy: Repeated emphasis is placed on listening before speaking, understanding others' perspectives, exploring assumptions, and practising curiosity about differing views. This includes asking "why" multiple times to delve into underlying motivations and worldviews.
Promoting Constructive Dialogue: Many points advocate for creating spaces and opportunities for respectful conversation, such as community dinners, moderated public forums, and "citizens’ solutions labs" to tackle challenging social topics. There's a call to reframe "polarization" as "diverse opportunities for discussion" and to embrace rather than shy away from conflict in a constructive manner.
Media Reform and Literacy: The suggestions highlight a desire for less "clickbait" media, support for local and community news, and the teaching of media literacy and critical thinking in schools. There's also a strong recommendation to regulate the internet and consider more written community news over digital.
Community Building and Social Cohesion: Ideas such as block parties, intentional social clubs, mixed neighbourhoods in urban planning, and encouraging "ripples of love and compassion" in interactions aim to build stronger community ties. The importance of meeting neighbours and creating cell phone-free zones to encourage face-to-face conversations is also noted.
Civic Engagement and Education: Several points emphasize the need for better civics education in schools, getting youth engaged in discussions, and focusing media questions and debates on values and principles rather than just policy. Electoral reform is also mentioned.
Stepping Outside Echo Chambers: There's a strong call to "jump out of our comfortable echo chamber into an uncomfortable one" and to encourage travel and learning from diverse cultures as a way to combat prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
Addressing Disinformation and Incivility: The suggestions include tolerating differences but not disrespectful, untruthful, or demonizing discourse, and finding ways to establish common sets of facts. "Leave Facebook" and "speak out against polarizing politics" are also direct recommendations.
In essence, the collection of ideas champions a move towards more thoughtful, empathetic, and engaged citizenship, with a strong focus on fostering genuine connection and understanding across differences.
There is great direction and wisdom for Grey Matters and our communities to keep the dialogue going!