I Just Want to Be Able to Debate Policy
I'm ready for the defense of democracy to be the political standard
Note: Part of my life journey has been working through who I am in relation to my fellow citizens and as a Christian. I believe that politics have a far bigger influence on our lives than many people want to believe, because decisions that are made locally, at the state level, and nationally affect the ways we work, play, parent, and commune with each other. Therefore, in 2024, I will have pieces that process where I am in both my faith and in my role as a citizen. My prayer is that we can find a better way forward by the end of 2024.
One of my favorite end-of-unit discussion activities involves setting up my classroom desks in a circle and putting four desks in the middle. After weeks of having students look at different angles of a broad issue (such as education or the environment) I give them a question and instruct them to discuss policy and use factual support for their claims. Then I sit on a desk and watch the chaos unfold, only intervening when someone says something factually untrue or if a student resorts to personal attacks.
My point with this discussion activity is that everyone may have a different approach to the same problems, and people may even disagree on the severity of a problem, but they need to be able to support their arguments and do so in a way that seeks solutions instead of just lamenting the problem.
As I get further away from teaching AP and more into the world of dual credit composition, I use this activity less and less, focusing more on helping them research social change papers that encourage them to do the same thing with their writing. But when I look at the world that my students are going to inherit in just a few years, I’m beginning to think that I need to bring this practice back.
Because it seems like we’re spending more time talking about what is real and what isn’t instead of discussing how we’re going to solve the problems that are staring us all straight in the face.
When it feels like we are living on a different planet than our fellow citizens, when if feels like we are experiencing two different realities, when you know that the democracy that you hold dear is hanging in the balance, policy debates seem like a luxury that we can’t afford.
And people keep getting left behind in the process.
I know that it’s part of my nature to be solutions minded. I don’t just want to discuss why something is a problem; I want to know how someone is going to fix it. And I know that there are a lot of people invested in fixing our current situation.
The coalition focused on saving our democracy is broad and diverse, and the more diverse it gets, the more I learn about myself and where I fit in this American story. I’ve listened to Pantsuit Politics for years and have learned so much about meaningful citizenship from Beth and Sarah. Eventually I started listening to both the Bulwark and Pod Save America with individuals that hold very different policy positions but who have the same goal: a stronger democracy. If these political pundits who have been on the opposite sides of many political campaigns and debates can agree to have meaningful conversations about where we go next and work together to do so, we should all be matching their energy in working to make our country stronger.
I’m working on listening and having grace. I’m trying to do better to understand why people make the decisions they do and take certain positions. I’m trying hard to not see people as intent on destroying my family and my children’s future. Somedays, it’s pretty damn hard.
But then I do things like read Cassidy Hutchinson’s book Enough and so much falls into place. I grew up in conservative spaces. I heard so many of the arguments for conservative politics that drove my earliest voting decisions. And yet I still was “Never Trump from the jump,” as Sarah Longwell of the Bulwark has said on The Next Level podcast. Reading Hutchinson’s book helped me see how easily a young woman could be persuaded to fall in line as she worked her way into one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes positions in the West Wing. That understanding has also helped me as I’ve tried to talk to family and bridge gaps that still feel too wide to cross.
When I finished listening to Liz Cheney get interviewed on the podcast Pod Save America in January, I had only one thought: I’m ready to just debate policy.
I’m ready to look forward. I’m ready to start thinking about the future. I’m ready to stop catastrophizing every little thing that happens. I’m ready for an existence with my fellow citizens where I hear their policy positions and don’t automatically assume that they stand with an authoritarian regime. I’m ready to stop wondering when the next shoe will drop and praying that loved ones will stop seeing me as the lost sheep.
I’m not blind. I know we’re not there yet. I know we have work to do to get there.
But our children deserve better and I’m determined to see that they get a chance to experience that something better. I don’t believe we have any other choice.
Prepare for Earth Day 2024
I’ve opened a RedBubble store in preparation for my next book, but I’m also making a lot of other graphics that relate to my blog and books. Below are three graphics that relate to Earth Day and the above blog post. You can purchase stickers and other items at the link below.
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Debating can be challenging, especially concerning what's happening today in our topsy turvy world. There are so many layers and levels. My husband and I start with what the Bible teaches: the tension between Good and evil is so intense. Semantics gets intense in discussion, too. Onward. We must be brave and steadfast.