ST. PETER — Political polarization is deteriorating communities, families and relationships, said Kristen Cvancara, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Cvancara is a volunteer ambassador with Braver Angels, a nonprofit started after the 2016 election with the aim of reducing polarization. She presented on the group’s origins and ongoing work Thursday at a free public event hosted by the St. Peter Area League of Women Voters.
Work focused on polarization is needed now more than ever, Cvancara said.
“It’s really a tense time for many of us,” she said. “But there are ways that we can work through this, and we can regain our ability to have conversations about this and do it in a healthy, constructive way.”
Braver Angels sees self reflection as a starting point toward the reduction of polarization. Someone should consider how they view people with opposing viewpoints and how they approach interactions with them.
A tendency to stereotype, for example, won’t help achieve greater understanding. Asking gotcha questions isn’t productive, either.
Overall someone shouldn’t enter into these conversations with the intention to change minds, Cvancara said. Understanding is a better goal.
Cvancara, who works as a communications professor at Minnesota State University, feels people generally have the skills to navigate these interactions in ways that don’t fuel further polarization. The tense political environment of recent years seemed to chip away at those skills, and it takes work to rediscover them.
“We’ve just kind of forgotten how to use them and put them into practice in a concerted way,” she said.
She sees Braver Angels as serving in a facilitator role for rebuilding these skills. Workshops offered by the organization range from evenly divided discussion groups, to how to talk about politics with family members and social media skills.
Cindy Olson, communications director for the St. Peter Area League of Women Voters, hoped the presentation gave attendees perspective on better communication strategies in today’s political environment.
“It’s about finding common ground,” she said. “These techniques and things to think about are going to be very practical.”
Depolarization strategies will be useful beyond November’s election, Cvancara said. Whatever the outcomes, one group or another will be satisfied or disappointed and each will need to interact with the other going forward.
Cvancara encouraged volunteers to get involved with Braver Angels, which got its name as a spin off of an Abraham Lincoln quote referring to “better angels.” Workshops are available through the nonprofit’s website at braverangels.org.
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