Last week while meeting with a group of education leaders in Seattle I heard the same questions I’ve come to expect after a workshop on the Dignity Index:
Read More
The devastation caused by the recent fires in Los Angeles has been heartbreaking. The loss of life and property, and the grief that so many are experiencing, remind us of the vulnerability of everything in life.
Read More
As we prepare to close the final pages of 2024 – reflecting on successes and disappointments; challenges and surprises – I’m also preparing to close a chapter of my life which began nine years ago. One that has brought me immense growth and satisfaction.
Read More
If you’re like me and millions of Americans, you’re on the move for the holidays. I set off last weekend to meet 4 of my 5 children (Sam sadly has to work), their two spouses, my wife, my 4 grandchildren and more than a dozen cousins.
Read More
As they do each December, Merriam-Webster recently announced its word of the year. “Polarization” is the selection for 2024, which their dictionary defines as “division into two sharply distinct opposites.”
Read More
Last week, I had the privilege of attending a remarkable event in Denver—a gathering of civic leaders, religious teachers, and community members. The theme of the gathering was “Repairing the Breach,” a conversation focused on bridging cultural and political divides.
Read More
I was watching the NFL yesterday and noticed the many causes that players were celebrating with their cleats. I saw the American Cancer Society, and yes Special Olympics, and many others.
Read More
It’s almost Thanksgiving. For many of us, that means gathering with family members around the holiday table and talking to relatives who oppose our politics.
Read More
“The National Citizens Panel, representing the range of political and cultural viewpoints in the country, has validated a key premise of the Dignity Index,” said Shriver, a co-creator of the Index. “It’s shown that people can get beyond their biases and see the contempt coming from their own side and see the dignity coming from the other side -- and see the value to the country of choosing dignity over
Read More
Two years ago, my organization, the Dignity Index, issued a warning to our country: Our national addiction to dehumanizing contempt had reached a point at which the future of the country was at stake. Contempt, not policy differences, our data suggested, is tearing us apart.
Read More
Here’s one of the biggest paradoxes we face now in the United States – and it’s especially relevant after campaign season:
The use of contempt is rising -- even as unhappiness with contempt is also rising.
“Campaigns are long, challenging tests for all sides,” said Shriver, co-creator of the Index. “Everyone gets hit with attacks at some point, and everyone gets hurt. Positive expressions of goodwill can help the two sides begin to get past the pain of the campaign.”
Read More
“The exhausted majority is becoming more exhausted,” said Shriver. “And it’s not just the people in the middle. The partisan wings are weary of contempt too, even when it comes from their own side. As we near the end of the campaign, Americans are starving for politicians who can speak to all voters with dignity and show the rest of the candidates how.”
Read More
“The panelists’ scores again show a strong bipartisan agreement on dignity and contempt,” said Shriver. “The comments also show that the panelists can be passionately invested in an issue and still see through efforts to manipulate their emotions and divide them from other Americans.”
Read More
“The scores this week show that panelists recognize the presence of dignity or contempt whether they agree with the speaker or not,” said Shriver, a co-creator of the Index. “And the comments support the view that a “dignity strategy” – searching for common interests and values, for example – can be much more appealing to voters than a contempt strategy, which demonizes opponents to energize supporters.”
Read More
“The scores this week are the strongest contempt scores yet registered by the National Citizens Panel,” said Shriver. “And they also have the highest bipartisan agreement on the scores themselves. It shows that people can recognize contempt even when it comes from their own side, and they see the damage it does.”
Read More
“When our political parties use the contempt strategy – demonizing their opponents to energize their supporters – it has an unintended effect,” said Shriver. “It turns away the voters they need to win. The candidate that can treat the other side with dignity has a better chance of winning the swing voters who may decide this election.”
Read More
National Citizens Panel finds that contempt continues to pervade political speech and damage national unity.
Read More
Bipartisan National Citizens Panel Issues Second Round of Scores with the Dignity Index. Panel scores and comments offer support for a Dignity Strategy
Read More