Starts With Us
@StartsWithUs
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A lesson on listening from eight-year-old Legend.
“If we would have just listened to each other and not fight, we would have so much time to play.”
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How a life imprisonment sentence led
@AliceMarieFree
to radical compassion.
Watch the full story:
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“If there’s a city that’s perfect, tell me, I want to know where the Wizard of Oz lives.” —
@chefjoseandres
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Americans deserve the full story.
#ChangeTheCoverage
Call on the media to balance the coverage by broadcasting bipartisan problem solvers:
@commongroundcom
@cmpaatgmu
Starts With Us is not affiliated with any political campaign or party & this is not an
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What values do Americans share regardless of political party?
Our perception doesn’t match reality.
Find America’s hidden consensus:
Data Visualization:
@JamesEagle17
in collab w/
@convergencectr
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Whether it’s BBQ or politics…
Disagree better.
Wise words from
@GovParsonMO
(R-MO) and
@GovLauraKelly
(D-KS).
Video credit:
@NatlGovsAssoc
#DisagreeBetter
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Cyberbullying changed the course of his life.
Now he fights to protect others from the same pain.
@Farbstein
was born with an extremely rare form of dwarfism (metatropic dysplasia) and battled against severe bullying. At age 11, he contemplated suicide.
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Pati
@ppoblete
lost her son to gun violence.
Maurice
@mosol1980
is a gun rights advocate who trolled her online.
They became unlikely friends. Watch:
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Former professional heavyweight boxer
@EdLatimore
’s courage to fight
#addiction
…
Watch the full story:
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Calling each other Nazis and pedophiles isn’t exactly conducive to a stable society…
Extreme polarization leads to a vicious cycle. People have negative views of the “other side,” so they speak in dehumanizing ways. Then people in the second group do the same thing to the first
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Does anyone know everything?
Are we always humble and curious or self-centered a**ses?
Source: Commentary from Comedian
@JimNorton
in Rob Feld’s (
@GothamArtsProds
) documentary Jesters and Fools – comedians talk about telling jokes in polarized times.
Full video:
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What does it mean to you to be a “good American citizen?”
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Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton’s unlikely friendship…
In this video, the two former presidents talk about how they can have a close friendship and respect each other despite their differences and political backgrounds.
But the story of their unlikely friendship
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A depolarizing beer ad?
One of the most efficient depolarization tools we know of is a 2017 Heineken beer commercial, according to many researchers who study how we may reduce political animosity.
In 2021, Stanford University held a Strengthening Democracy Challenge asking for
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I’m a former white supremacist. This is what saved me. Watch the full episode:
#RadicalCompassion
@freethinkmedia
@bigthink
@mcaleer
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Our movement is called “Starts With Us” because we believe each one of us has the power to reduce dangerous us-vs-them polarization through our daily habits.
We need more citizens to understand polarization, and work against it.
Will you help?
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When
@PhilRosenthal
went looking for one Republican and Democrat to share a meal with him, ALMOST everyone refused…
Until
@BrianFitzUSA
(R-PA) and Secretary of Transportation
@PeteButtigieg
(D) accepted the invitation. Both agreed on the biggest issue America faces today.
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So, what to write for our first tweet. *twiddles thumbs* Well, we did a big thing today that you may want to check out. 🧵
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Woke. One word, many polarizing meanings.
According to a poll by Ipsos/USA Today conducted earlier this month, 40% of people found “woke” to be an insult, and 32% found it to be a compliment.
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WANTED: More balanced, less partisan news coverage.
Tucker Carlson is out at FOX & Don Lemon is out at CNN.
We send media companies a message with the news we choose to consume.
We deserve the full story.
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As polarization gets worse and we become increasingly unable to understand the views of the "other side," we also become more likely to see their views as not being genuine.
We'll often think people on the "other side" are being deceptive about their views. We'll often think
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Some people think that angry, divisive language is needed to arouse passion and get votes for a political cause or candidate.
Some very smart political professionals can believe this, and can use this to justify divisive language.
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Having conversations and finding common ground...👏
@WalshFreedom
and
@davidhogg111
showing mutual respect and civility. Though they disagree on how to achieve it, they ultimately want the same outcome.
A former supporter asked me why I speak with “fucking gun grabber” David Hogg.
I told him that, tho I disagree with
@davidhogg111
on almost all gun policy, I consider David a friend, he’s an amazing activist trying to do good, and every time he & I speak, we move the ball a bit.
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This meme is sometimes used to mock the idea of wanting to reduce toxic us-vs-them polarization in America.
We'll write some thoughts on this tomorrow but first we wanted to ask: What do you think about this meme? Love to hear your thoughts.
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What happens when strangers come together to discuss an issue that has historically divided Americans?
This past weekend, we convened 11 Tennesseans of different backgrounds and perspectives to discuss gun rights and safety. The civic experiment came five months after The
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The
@Moreincommon_
study examined misperceptions many Americans have about each other.
One Republican-side misperception was an average estimate that only around 50% of Democrats would say they were 'proud to be American', when actually about 80% of Democrats agreed with that.
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“We cannot take for granted the gifts we have in democracy and freedom and the rule of law.”
Inspired by this incredible new initiative (and proud to call
@DanielLubetzky
,
@chefjoseandres
&
@Kasparov63
SWU Founding Partners). 🙏
Ukrainian youth may save democracy, but not w/out the partnership of their US & global peers.
@chefjoseandres
@Kasparov63
@AVindman
& I are launching a Ukrainian scholarship program w/ a pro-democracy twist. More from
@NYTimes
@BlakeHounshell
:
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He saved the lives of thousands of Jews.
Meet Chiune Sugihara, the "Japanese Schindler."
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Could you give this an honest try?
What’s a self-criticism of the political party that you identify w/ most?
What’s a value that you admire in someone w/ the opposite politics?
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I was shot 5 times and still chose love. Watch the full episode:
#RadicalCourage
@freethinkmedia
@bigthink
@leonfordspeaks
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The same the “dark side” and the “other side” are not.
With you May the 4th be.
#MayThe4thBeWithYou
#StarWarsDay
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He ripped up his Klan card after this…
#unlikelyfriendship
@BerniceKing
@TheKingCenter
@sharon_says_so
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Setting your New Year’s resolution? Get started with the first three words you find.
#NewYearsResolution
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Some people think that the work we do at Starts With Us is at odds with political activism. But we believe all political activism benefits from being well versed in political conflict resolution principles.
Many people think, or instinctively feel, that animosity at some group
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Do you think ranked choice voting would help the division of Americans?
#voting
#division
#america
#onthestreet
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How can we change the incentives for more balanced media coverage?
Call on the media to
#ChangeTheCoverage
by broadcasting bipartisan problem solvers:
@AndrewYang
@ToriLarnedtv
@Fwd_Party
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“What if instead of “us vs. them” we saw ALL of us vs. extremism…”
And worked together to BUILD a future where we acknowledge each other’s humanity and find solutions to our most challenging problems?
Recognizing the global interconnectivity of extremist thinking, and the
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What do Americans die from?
There's a difference between reality and what the media reports.
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Establishing Juneteenth as a national holiday was a bipartisan measure for racial healing & national unity.
In 2021, the Senate unanimously passed, and the House voted 415-14 for legislation establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day.
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He was the only Japanese soldier to drop bombs on mainland U.S…
and he became an honorary citizen of an American town.
The story of Nobuo Fujita and Brookings, Oregon.
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We can criticize our political opponents and their actions while avoiding insulting, dehumanizing language. We can focus our criticisms on specific people, instead of speaking as if those traits and actions are present for everyone on the "other side."
We can see "taking the
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Do you think Republicans and Democrats share values?
🤔
@NikkiHaley
,
@VivekGRamaswamy
,
@SenatorTimScott
,
@JoeBiden
,
@GovChristie
,
@FrancisSuarez
,
@marwilliamson
,
@Mike_Pence
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Founding Partners
@DanielLubetzky
,
@chefjoseandres
,
@Kasparov63
, and
@AVindman
announce the first cohort of Ukrainian students participating in the pro-democracy scholarship.
Together with
@chefjoseandres
,
@Kasparov63
,
@AVindman
, I am proud to announce the first group of Ukrainian students to participate in our pro-democracy scholarship.
More from
@washigntonpost
@SusanSvrluga
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"If you have contempt for 'them,' more and more people will become 'them."
-
@ArthurBrooks
, from his book Love Your Enemies
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"We don’t have an anger problem in American politics. We have a contempt problem... If you listen to how people talk to each other in political life today, you notice it is with pure contempt. When somebody around you treats you with contempt, you never quite forget it. So if we
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Americans deserve the full story.
#ChangeTheCoverage
Call on the media to balance the coverage by broadcasting bipartisan problem solvers:
@commongroundcom
@cmpaatgmu
Starts With Us is not affiliated with any political campaign or party & this is not an
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When we're very divided, we'll have a tendency to hold up the most extreme, angry, and unreasonable rhetoric of people on the "other side" as a way to say "look at how bad that group is."
We should be aware of how this tendency of ours can amplify our divides, in simplifying and
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If you're angry at the "other side," one thing you may dislike about them is that you see them as divisive and overly us-vs-them in their thinking. For example, many people criticize Trump for his divisive and polarizing language. And many conservatives criticize various liberals
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“The comedian George Carlin would ask his audience, ‘Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?’
“Politics often seems little different: anybody believing something you think to be false is brainwashed,
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Shifting our culture happens from the bottom up.
Let’s do it.
Read it from top to bottom to get one message…
Then try reading from bottom to top and get another.
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Video Credit:
@NatlGovsAssoc
#DisagreeBetter
is an initiative of the National Governors Association. Give them a follow for more info.
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But one can be righteous and passionate without being insulting.
One can harshly criticize ideas while avoiding insulting the people who hold those ideas (and this is a good idea because some of those idea-holders are in our group, or might be theoretical allies).
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On paper, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) and Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) couldn't be more different…
And they definitely disagree on many things — with good reason. We can all relate to that. We disagree with people on the “other side” — and sometimes even within our own
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Some liberals want to reduce the toxic political animosity in America, but they perceive the fault for our divides to rest almost entirely with Republicans.
For liberals who genuinely want to work on this problem, it's important to be able to see how liberals have contributed to
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Why are we rewarding people for saying the craziest things?
Polarization expert
@chris_bail
explains how social media can distort our views of what people around us really think and why that is so dangerous.
Source — Jesters and Fools, a documentary by Rob Feld
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When a society is highly divided, people in both political groups will see more "monsters under the bed": more of us will interpret many situations through an us-versus-them filter, seeing the evidence we expect to find. In short, we become more biased, more paranoid (no matter
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It's possible to view extreme polarization as the root cause behind the harms of misinformation.
The most harmful misinformation is usually created and spread to hurt perceived enemies. Us-vs-them animosity creates the desire to produce that and the desire to consume it.
Misinformation can easily lead to polarization which can then easily lead to authoritarianism. Combatting this cycle means putting factual information in front of people. That’s what
@taraemcg
does.
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Exhausted by toxic polarization?
Complete one exercise per weekday for four weeks to break the blame cycle, repair strained relationships, and be a leader of constructive conflict.
Developed by Peter T. Coleman (
@PeterTColeman1
), Ph.D., our Expert-in-Residence and a Columbia
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Part of us getting better will require more of the politically active people to see the wisdom of being "soft on people but hard on ideas."
Of seeing how it's possible to inspire passion and action without the need for insults or worst-case framings of the "other side."
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Some people who want to reduce the toxicity of our divides may overcorrect and become intolerant of criticism itself. For example: we've seen some people who support this cause say things like, "Stop criticizing x/y/z: you're contributing to polarization."
But criticism is not
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Abraham Lincoln was someone with passionate beliefs, and who took decisive action, while remaining respectful in how he spoke to and about his opponents.
Even in the midst of war, he's noted for avoiding dehumanizing, insulting language (unlike many at that time on both sides).
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Join us for
#HoldAmericaTogether
: Overcoming Divides in a Post-Midterms America on Mon 11/14 4:30p ET/1:30p PT! Add to calendar:
@DanielLubetzky
@JaRonSmith04
@bungarsargon
@arianapekary
@AndrewYang
@braverangels
@StartsWithUs
@BridgeUSA_
@JohnRWoodJr
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Wolf advocates believe that wolves have a right to live and roam on the land.
Ranchers struggle with the danger they present to their livestock and livelihoods.
There is often a tense stand-off between the two sides...
Watch full ep:
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A huge crowd sang John Lennon’s peace anthem “Imagine” in the center of Berlin to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
#StandWithUkraine
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Life advice from Anthony Bourdain…
“Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster.
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He thought being gay was a sin…
Until he started to question his own sexuality.
@geekyJustinLee
, founder of
@qchristianorg
, grew up in a conservative Christian family that taught him being gay was a sin. When he realized his sexuality, he struggled to find which community he
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Abraham Lincoln was someone with passionate and firm beliefs, and someone who was able to take decisive actions, while remaining respectful in how he spoke to and about his opponents. Even in the midst of war, he's noted for avoiding dehumanizing, insulting language—unlike many
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When it comes to efforts to reduce toxic polarization, a common criticism is that people engaging in this work are making a false equivalency. People will say, "It's not a both sides problem; the groups aren't the same, and it's bad to act as if both sides are the same."
This
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'Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibility', a book by Michelle
@educatorslab
Blanchet and Brian Deters
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Political violence is inexcusable, immoral, and beneath our nation.
We condemn this act against former President Trump in the strongest possible terms.
If you ever thought polarization wasn’t a problem, look at its undeniable results.
We call on our community of Builders —
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Common ground may seem like uncharted territory, but in reality…
We have more in common than we are led to believe.
Founding Partner
@DanielLubetzky
speaks to the manipulation of political extremism and the reality of what most Americans want.
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Do you believe that America is divided?
We went to Georgia, California, and Texas to hear people’s thoughts on our
#division
.
Watch the full episode at
@dekecopenhaver
@KarithFoster
@manumeel1
@BridgeUSA_
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Feeling fear and/or judgment?
“In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway… empathy and compassion are evolved states of being.” —Illinois Governor
@JBPritzker
commencement speech at Northwestern University
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“We can find a way to talk to each other as opposed to each other’s positions” —
@RevJacquiLewis
Watch the full episode:
@freethinkmedia
@bigthink
#RadicalLove
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Who benefits from polarization… And who is harmed?
Molly Ivins was a famous Texan journalist known for her cheerful, biting, political wit. She leaned to the left, but there was something for everyone to learn from her wisdom. She spoke against threats to democracy and used her
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“Maybe together we can get somewhere, any place is better…”
The performance by Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs left the country in a state we haven’t seen in a long time… togetherness.
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Some people think the work we do is about valuing unity above all else, or that our goal is to get people to simply "meet in the middle," no matter the positions involved.
But this is a misunderstanding of this work. Learn more here:
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Happening in 1 hour!
Join us at 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT in conversation with
@WalshFreedom
,
@fred_guttenberg
,
@ppoblete
, and
@MoSol1980
.
Set a reminder:
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Tiffany Yu was disabled at 9 years old in a car accident that also took the life of her dad.
Watch the full story:
@ImTiffanyYu
@Diversability
#DisabilityAwarenessMonth
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Have you been told you're "in a cult" based on your political beliefs? How did that make you feel? How did you react?
When we're divided, many of us will view the "other side" as being an all-the-same mass who can't think for themselves. Because we often don't understand the
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“I live in a community where gun violence erupts 24/7. I’m talking about Nashville, Tennessee, the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame. On the other side of that fame is a gun game that we duck and dodge.
My son was murdered in 2003. My nephew was murdered in 2014. My
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Important message on division this Super Bowl Sunday from Hall of Fame quarterback, Steve Young (
@SteveYoungQB
)
Video credit:
@NatlGovsAssoc
#DisagreeBetter
— an initiative of the National Governors Association.
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"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“I know I said I’d open myself up, but not with the police!”
A former convict formed an unexpected alliance w/ police.
Watch the full story:
@nccivil
@GreenvillePD
#communitypolicing
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"The first thing people usually do when they decide to reduce the outrage in their lives is stop talking about politics altogether - or at least stop arguing with people who disagree with them. This is exactly the wrong response. We are supposed to argue about politics; we're
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