Shut Up and Listen (plus more)

Shut Up and Listen

Responding to anger can be difficult. Generally the best response is to listen, ask questions, learn, empathize, and find points of agreement. Unsolicited advice is rarely appreciated, as I’m still learning.

That’s especially true if you are White and the other is African-American. Let’s face it. In this country, race matters. Persistent oppression and White assumptions of superiority charge the atmosphere.

In “It’s Not About Race!”, John Metta reported:

Sometime later, a man said that he hoped we could “rise above emotions.” He wanted an “intellectual discussion” using logic so we could “really get to heart of the matter” without getting “derailed by emotions.”

Metta places this issue within an understanding of cultural differences:

[Read more]

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Community at Pacific School of Religion

Dear Erin:

I’ve been thinking about the wonderful conversation we had over dinner Friday night. It’s very encouraging to learn that a highly skilled person with your perspective serves as Communications Manager at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley. And it’s heartening to know that the school appreciates the role that the New Seminary Movement played in the school’s growth. When the President expelled several of us for a minor infraction, the Board of Trustees reinstated us, the President resigned, and the next President, David Napier, an activist chaplain from Stanford University, led PSR into a new progressive era. The school is now less of an isolated “ivory tower” and more involved in the community.

Toward the end of our conversation, you asked if I had thoughts about whether New Seminary Movement principles could help strengthen the school today. I hope my immediate responses were helpful. Here are some additional thoughts.

[Read more]

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Issues Republicans Support

The following quotes report on proposed policies that are supported by a majority of Republicans. Links to sources are embedded.

There is strong support across party lines for limiting the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns, limiting the amount of money groups not affiliated with candidates can spend, and requiring unaffiliated groups to publicly disclose their donors if they spend money during a political campaign.

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Republicans and Democrats alike say that communities will be safer when the criminal justice system reduces the number of people behind bars and increases the treatment of mental illness and addiction, which are seen as primary root causes of crime.

[Read more]

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History tells us

From “History tells us what may happen next with Brexit & Trump” by Tobias Stone

…The people who see that open societies, being nice to other people, not being racist, not fighting wars, is a better way to live, they generally end up losing these fights. They don’t fight dirty. They are terrible at appealing to the populace. They are less violent, so end up in prisons, camps, and graves. We need to beware not to become divided (see: Labour party), we need to avoid getting lost in arguing through facts and logic, and counter the populist messages of passion and anger with our own similar messages. We need to understand and use social media. We need to harness a different fear. Fear of another World War nearly stopped World War 2, but didn’t. We need to avoid our own echo chambers. Trump and Putin supporters don’t read the Guardian, so writing there is just reassuring our friends. We need to find a way to bridge from our closed groups to other closed groups, try to cross the ever widening social divides.

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The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down

In The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down,Walter Russell Mead basically predicted Trump and Sanders years ago.

JONATHAN RAUCH updated the analysis today on the Newshour.

It seems to me that absent strong political parties, we need a strong national grassroots coalition.

Shut Up and Listen (plus more)

Shut Up and Listen

Responding to anger can be difficult. Generally the best response is to listen, ask questions, learn, empathize, and find points of agreement. Unsolicited advice is rarely appreciated, as I’m still learning.

That’s especially true if you are White and the other is African-American. Let’s face it. In this country, race matters. Persistent oppression and White assumptions of superiority charge the atmosphere.

In “It’s Not About Race!”, John Metta reported:

Sometime later, a man said that he hoped we could “rise above emotions.” He wanted an “intellectual discussion” using logic so we could “really get to heart of the matter” without getting “derailed by emotions.”

Metta places this issue within an understanding of cultural differences:

[Read more]

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Community at Pacific School of Religion

Dear Erin:

I’ve been thinking about the wonderful conversation we had over dinner Friday night. It’s very encouraging to learn that a highly skilled person with your perspective serves as Communications Manager at Pacific School of Religion (PSR) in Berkeley. And it’s heartening to know that the school appreciates the role that the New Seminary Movement played in the school’s growth. When the President expelled several of us for a minor infraction, the Board of Trustees reinstated us, the President resigned, and the next President, David Napier, an activist chaplain from Stanford University, led PSR into a new progressive era. The school is now less of an isolated “ivory tower” and more involved in the community.

Toward the end of our conversation, you asked if I had thoughts about whether New Seminary Movement principles could help strengthen the school today. I hope my immediate responses were helpful. Here are some additional thoughts.

[Read more]

+++++

Issues Republicans Support

The following quotes report on proposed policies that are supported by a majority of Republicans. Links to sources are embedded.

There is strong support across party lines for limiting the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns, limiting the amount of money groups not affiliated with candidates can spend, and requiring unaffiliated groups to publicly disclose their donors if they spend money during a political campaign.

++

Republicans and Democrats alike say that communities will be safer when the criminal justice system reduces the number of people behind bars and increases the treatment of mental illness and addiction, which are seen as primary root causes of crime.

[Read more]

+++++

History tells us

From “History tells us what may happen next with Brexit & Trump” by Tobias Stone

…The people who see that open societies, being nice to other people, not being racist, not fighting wars, is a better way to live, they generally end up losing these fights. They don’t fight dirty. They are terrible at appealing to the populace. They are less violent, so end up in prisons, camps, and graves. We need to beware not to become divided (see: Labour party), we need to avoid getting lost in arguing through facts and logic, and counter the populist messages of passion and anger with our own similar messages. We need to understand and use social media. We need to harness a different fear. Fear of another World War nearly stopped World War 2, but didn’t. We need to avoid our own echo chambers. Trump and Putin supporters don’t read the Guardian, so writing there is just reassuring our friends. We need to find a way to bridge from our closed groups to other closed groups, try to cross the ever widening social divides.

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The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down

In The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down,Walter Russell Mead basically predicted Trump and Sanders years ago.

JONATHAN RAUCH updated the analysis today on the Newshour.

It seems to me that absent strong political parties, we need a strong national grassroots coalition.

My Week in Review - 9/18/16

Last week I was in a particularly good mood. Then Trump self-destructed with his birther statement and I felt even better.

I feel more grounded, better able to see my situation, more accepting of my limits, and clear about how I want to try to contribute to social change.

Reflecting on and modifying the “Drowning Children” metaphor deepened my commitment to do all I can to reform the social system that daily kills 8.000 children and end the poverty in this country that daily kills 2,400 Americans. I feel morally obligated to do all I can about that.

As Bob Dylan sings in “What Good Am I?”:

If my hands are tied must I not wonder within

Who tied them and why and where must I have been?

What good am I if I say foolish things

And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings

And I just turn my back while you silently die

What good am I?

I’ve concluded that I’ll try to contribute to the Cause my summing up my thinking in a new book, a booklet, tentatively titled, Transforming America: How to Fix the “Rigged System.”

The following developments bolster my confidence that my conclusions are sensible.

My reading of the excellent book, Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt by Sarah Jaffe, reassures me that my critique of the conventional leftist thinking she affirms is solid.

My reading of the beautiful book, Kiss the Sky: My Weekend in Monterey at the Greatest Concert Ever by Dusty Baker, the baseball manager, reinforces my belief in an alternative stance that holds more potential.

Hillary Clinton’s comments about the supposedly irredeemable Trump “deplorables” exposed for all to see the liberal elitism I’ve been talking about for years. Unfortunately most of her supporters seem inclined to defend her.

Her comments also clarified the important distinction between saying “that is a racist comment” and “you are a racist,” or saying “he is a deplorable politician” and “he is a deplorable person.” As I’ve argued, we can make judgments without being judgmental.

Hillary’s decision to ignore the Democratic Party platform (and promote her own proposals instead) and her weak support for the Party in general as she focuses on her own election (which has infuriated many Democrats) highlights a key weakness in the Party that I addressed in “The Convention: What Was Missing.”

Bernie’s decision not to build a new, democratic, grassroots organization, but rather focus on electoral politics, as does Barack, reduces the possibility that “Our Revolution” will fill the need for a new national organization, which I unsuccessfully tried to address by encouraging Bernie and/or the San Francisco Democratic Party to help transform the Party into an activist organization

Those and other developments lead me to believe that I am on a wise path. It’s not the only one, but it is a wise one nevertheless.

Unfortunately, so far, not many San Franciscans seem to share my vision (though some online friends elsewhere seem to).

So I plan to stop trying to organize projects myself and put my thoughts down on paper in a way that may be more convincing and/or inspiring.

At the same time, I’ll continue to keep my eyes open for a holistic community that I can join. And I’ll remain open to soulful face-to-face connections if and when those opportunities emerge.

My interactions with my passengers provide me with most or all of the superficial connections I need.

So my plan is to write as much as I can on Sundays and weeknights, watch some political comedy at 9 pm before going to bed at 10 pm (I’ve invited some neighbors here at Western Park to join me for that and I hope they will), read on the bus to and from work, and on Saturday, my Day of Rest, socialize some and commune for at least a few hours with Mother Nature (as I did on a recent hike on Land’s End and my outing to the beach yesterday that I captured with these photos and these.)

As Dusty Baker told his son, I tell myself:

It requires more strength to be different. You don’t go out of your way. But you don’t worry about being accepted. And if you’ve got the lead in life, you keep the lead. You just stay on that path wherever it’s taking you. If they say you’re “weird,” who cares?

I could count at least ten or fifteen times in the past when I’ve been ahead of my time on major issues. I sense the same may be true with regard to my search for holistic, or deep, community. No one knows if I “have the lead” on that issue. I may not know before I die.

All I can do with my remaining time is to minimize self-indulgence, keep the faith, walk the walk, and keep my eyes on the prize.

With my new book, if I can tie my thoughts together well enough, perhaps I can plant some seeds that will eventually bloom (as did other seeds that I planted).

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For are links to last week’s Wade’s Wire posts. Click on the links to read the full post.

Hillary’s Apology

I wish Hillary would say the following:

I’m human. When others call me a name, sometimes I call them a name. When others disagree with me, sometimes I call them irrational. That’s what I did with my comments about Trump supporters. For that I apologize....

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If it Takes a Village (guest post)

By Michael Cornwall

If it Takes a Village to raise a child as Hillary once insisted, then it assumes that all children are born innocent beings who are shaped by the social forces around them. At what point does the village fail a child?

Does the would be leader of the village declare a child or teen or adult an outcast based on the level of toxic and destructive beliefs the person may have been exposed to and may have tragically internalized?...

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A Teachable Moment: Nonviolent Communication

Two conversations I had today with passengers in my taxi indicate that the controversy generated by Hillary’s comments about Trump’s followers has created a potential “teachable moment.” Unfortunately, however, so far Hillary has not taken advantage of the opportunity....

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Hillary, Making Judgments, and Being Judgmental

My monitoring of today’s news indicates that many of Hillary’s supporters have learned little from her deplorable comment about “irredeemable” Trump supporters.

That issue is important. It affects how we treat one another throughout society.

It’s not merely a question of strategy. It’s also a question of truthfulness....

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Ask Questions

In the concluding paragraph of “Hillary Clinton was wrong: Donald Trump’s voters are not ‘irredeemable’” Sally Kohn used italics to emphasize an important point:

We shouldn’t tell them they’re deplorable. In fact, we shouldn’t tell them anything at all. We should listen to their anger and their concerns and try to understand.

An obvious way to increase understanding is to ask questions.

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Drowning Children

...In light of those facts, imagine the following scenario.

A town with 10,000 working-age residents is located next to a rapidly flowing river.

Each day 8,000 children under the age of five float down that river on the way to rocky rapids downstream......

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Community Dialogues: Problem-Solving Conversations

The following is a possible format for a series of public forums that could enable richer interaction than is usually the case with such events. Feedback is welcome.

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I also posted the following to Facebook. Click on the links to read the full post.

Did You Know We Are Having the Largest Prison Strike in History? Probably Not, Because Most of the Media Have Ignored It

Thousands of prisoners in over 24 states began a labor strike on September 9, the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising, to demand better conditions and healthcare, the right to unionize and what one organizing group calls an “end to slavery in America.” But one would hardly know it watching major U.S. media, which has mostly ignored the largest prison labor strike in history. One week on, the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC News, ABC News, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, and NPR have not covered the prison strikes at all.

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It’s time for TV news to stop playing the stooge for Donald Trump

...While they waited, and waited, Trump provided what amounted to a campaign infomercial and shamelessly promoted his new Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington....

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Princeton Election Consortium

NOTE: This may be the best up-to-date November prediction.

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Mike Pence Is Rebuffed as He Tries to Rally G.O.P. Leaders Over ‘Deplorables’

Gov. Mike Pence came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday on a mission to promote Republican unity, attacking Hillary Clinton for describing many supporters of the G.O.P. ticket as bigoted “deplorables” and urging Republicans to rally behind their nominee, Donald J. Trump.

But Mr. Pence struggled to press the attack: In separate news conferences, House and Senate Republican leaders declined to join Mr. Pence, the Indiana governor and vice-presidential nominee, in rebuking Mrs. Clinton over her remark....

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Time to Pay Attention to the Polls

...Today, however, I give you permission to start paying attention, beginning with the polls that come out later this week–mid-September is when things really start taking shape. But note a few well-known caveats before you start devouring the numbers:...

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Trump Foundation Called Into Question

There’s been much scrutiny of the Clinton Foundation after reports indicated donors may have been given special treatment from the government while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. Since then, the Clinton Foundation announced it would not accept foreign or corporate donations and former President Bill Clinton said he would resign from the board should Hillary Clinton take office.

Now, the focus is on Republican party candidate Donald Trump. David Farenthold of The Washington Post recently published an investigation that showed Trump profited from charitable events and passed on donations from others as his own.

Hillary and the “Deplorables” (plus more)

I hope some Hillary backers learn from her comments about Trump supporters. It doesn’t seem her inner circle has. The talking points they circulated to their surrogates said she made a mistake by saying “half” rather than “some.” That stance saddens me.

Her description of the “deplorables” was bad enough, but how she described the second “basket” was even worse because the condescension is less obvious. About those people she said:

That other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they’re just desperate for change. It doesn’t really even matter where it comes from.

To say that those frustrated Trump supporters are suffering so much from extreme anxiety they are irrational is also an insult. In his Facebook Live commentary, Van Jones  presented a much different perspective. Unfortunately, it seems Hillary did not hear it.

Her remarks yesterday were not out of the blue. At other events in August which were closed to the press, she used the “baskets” metaphor. Why didn’t any of her people alert her to the risk involved?

In “I Love Donald Trump,” “Arlie Hochschild and Crossover Issues,”and other recent posts I’ve addressed those issues, sensing their importance.

But little did I anticipate that Hillary would place them front and center. I fear it will cost her the election.

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Other recent Wade's Wire posts:

Passenger Stories

Following are some of my recent interactions with passengers in my Yellow Cab:

A medical malpractice lawyer tells me that she alternates between representing patients and representing insurance companies because representing patients becomes too disturbing. I tell her about another passenger who works as a consultant to hospitals who told me that medical treatment is the third most common cause of death in the United States. She said she agrees. I asked her if she was familiar with Ivan Illich and his argument in Medical Nemesis that doctors cause more illness than they cure. She said she did not know the book but she believes the thesis is correct.....

To read more, see Passenger Stories.

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Proposals with Majority Support

I’m working on a list of proposed policies with majority support that a national organization could promote.

The current list reads as follows. Please suggest additions, with references to documentation.

Limit the amount of money individuals can contribute to political campaigns.
Reduce “corporate welfare” such as government aid to help other countries buy U.S.-made weapons.
Break up the big banks.
Provide free education at public colleges.
Make corporations and wealthy people pay what’s fair in federal taxes.
A Medicare-for-all insurance option.
Reduce military spending by at least $12 billion — especially money for weapons the military doesn’t want.
Reduce jail and prison populations and invest more in crime prevention and drug treatment.
A federal jobs program that would spend government money to create more than one million new jobs.....

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Donald Trump and White Voters

A piece for Rolling Stone by Joshua Holland, “Everyone Gets It Wrong About Donald Trump and White Voters,” presents a fairly detailed analysis concerning non-college-educated white voters.

Holland reports:

• The Democrats’ share of those voters in presidential elections has fluctuated pretty consistently with their share of all white votes (and the vote overall).
• Democrats have a serious problem with those voters in the Deep South and the Mountain states.
• Republicans are unpopular with this demographic in the North-central states and on the West Coast.
• And the two parties are competitive in the rest of the country.

Holland uses that data to make disparaging comments about the widespread concern about the issue....

To read more, see Donald Trump and White Voters

Arlie Hochschild and Crossover Issues

My highlight for the week was KQED Forum's interview September 2 with Arlie Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. What I appreciated most was Hochschild's use of the phrase, "crossover issues." That term seems to hit the nail on the head.

Hochschild, a Berkeley progressive, spent five years interviewing Republicans in Louisiana. She turned off her judgmental "alarm system," really listened, tried to feel they way they feel, and found ways to bridge the divide because "empathy does not make our judgment cloudy."

She was surprised that most of the people were very willing to talk, are much less strident than Fox News (which they follow closely), are disturbed by extreme polarization, and are also, as is she, looking for cross-over issues. 

My takeaway is that the people she interviewed are driven by two factors. First, they feel condescending liberals on the coasts disrespect them for their life-style choices, such as preparing dinner for their husbands. Second, they feel the federal government is indifferent to their economic condition and the pollution being inflicted on their environment by large corporations.

Examples of potential crossover issues mentioned on the program include:

• Campaign finance reform
• Addressing global capitalism and getting industry to stay 
• Environmental pollution

Hochschild's main message, however, is : "Build an empathy bridge so we talk respectfully to one another and don't polarize more. There are many people on the other side eager to do it."

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Last week I posted the following to Wade's Wire:

Analyzing the Roots of Inequality

Today on The Takeaway, on “Analyzing the Roots of Inequality,” John Hockenberry interviewed Per Molander, author of a new book, The Anatomy of Inequality: Its Social and Economic Origins- and Solutions.

They discussed: Why does inequality exist, and how can societies get closer to equality? Do some people just work harder, as conservatives maintain, or are liberals right when they say the government needs to step in to level the playing field?

Molander said all societies have a tendency to slip toward inequality. Even if you had equality at the outset, small differences would magnify over time and be reinforced.

So democracies in capitalist economies must rectify those advantages so that weaker parties can at least approach equality without punishing those who are more successful.  To do that, a variety of methods are available. If you do nothing, the differences will become dangerous if you want a workforce that can make the economy function.


To listen to the complete interview, click here.

Joe Henry on Colin Kaepernick

In response to the controversy generated by Colin Kaepernick sitting down during the playing of the national anthem prior to San Francisco 49er football games, singer-songwriter and award-winning producer Joe Henry posted the following on Facebook:

Back when my children were still in elementary school, I sometimes drew looks when, at each holiday pageant, I would stand for the pledge of allegiance but always with my hands held behind my back –never across my heart; for in truth –and though I deeply love my country— my allegiance is not first to a nation but to the human family.

So it ever shall be; for I can cherish my country while refusing nationalism, and do.

Such personal choice of expression –as would one to the contrary— falls within my ownership and ultimate authority; and any who might deem otherwise hasn’t understood the concept or its fierce intention.

I come by my citizenship honestly, and by the happy accident of my birth; and thus require no one’s permission to have the relationship with America that I authentically both enjoy and wrestle; refuse the invitation that I leave if I cannot, in fact, love it to the prescribed satisfactions of another. My “marriage” to my culture and nation of origin, then, is as mine to my beloved: private, complex, and –with all due respect— wholly resistant to your concern and druthers.

Likewise, Colin Kaepernick will express his national alignments and the lack thereof as his heart, experiences, and the brutal histories of his peers and elders direct. And those throwing flags suggesting otherwise should go back to saluting their own if so moved –wherever it happens to fly.


Silent and seated observance is neither disrespectful nor unpatriotic; but any insistence that it might be most definitely is.

Tax Dodging

“…Offshore tax dodging is a very serious and growing problem. It negatively effects each and every nation in the world.

However, American taxpayers lose more than any other country to tax dodging by multinational companies—up to $135 billion this year.

Today, the European Union (E.U.) signaled that it is engaged in a serious conversation and is willing to take steps to address aggressive tax avoidance and tax haven countries that facilitate the problem.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Administration and Congress have been less willing to do the same….”

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From “Apple Ruling Puts Emphasis on Need to End ‘Deferral’—the Biggest Tax Dodge,” By Clark Gascoigne, FACTCoalition

What’s Wrong with Ideology?

On Facebook, Todd Gitlin posted a link to the New Yorker’s “TRUMP, THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, AND THE COLLAPSE OF PUBLIC LANGUAGE”

He included the following excerpt:

…the language of common values has lost common meaning. It doesn’t help that some students disengage from people who aren’t on their wavelengths. But the reason for that disengagement, some tell me, is that public conversation has begun to seem performative, incapable of producing results.

And added the following comment:

A good piece, but this is a weak link. It’s not that public conversation is “incapable of producing results.” It’s that there’s no consensus on what constitute valuable results. Fox News, the Trump thing, the alt-right, various “left” (not really, but never mind) phenomena like Judith Butler saying that Hamas is part of the “global left,” all vomit on truth. They exchange truth-results for a cheaper currency–grotesque in-group solidarity.

I also found the essay thought-provoking. What struck me was the author’s challenge to the normal use of ideology when he concluded:

Abstraction [can’t] exercise much useful influence on the everyday problems of civic life for a truly pluralistic population.

The No Nothing Party, Nativism, and Electoral Politics 

Last night, Rachel Maddow schooled me on one historical fact and intrigued me with a new analysis.

The “No Nothing Party” was familiar to me, but I didn’t know the origin of its name, or that they were a Trump-like nativist party. Rachel reported that their name came from the fact that the large national party was founded by various secret societies, and when people asked a member about its activities, he was supposed to reply, “I know nothing.” As wikipedia states, “Outsiders called them ‘Know Nothings’, and the name stuck.” In 1856, they nominated former President Millard Fillmore in the  presidential election.

More importantly, Rachel reviewed the history of nativism in this country and argued that anti-immigrant momentum has repeatedly emerged when our two-party system was not working well when we did not have two strong, effective parties that could contest issues and negotiate compromises. That situation, she argued, has led to frustration and a power vacuum that has allowed minority voices to grow.

Her comments reminded me of the compelling analysis offered in The Atlantic’s “How American Politics Went Insane.” Unfortunately, it still seems that rather than rebuilding either party into a strong, grassroots organization, most people, including Bernie Sanders, are focused on short-term self-interest: winning the next election.

To view Rachel’s powerful, full commentary, click here.