The Way Out of a Violent Future

Make It A Habit:

Last week, we tweeted this image with a call to condemn political violence against anyone — of any party — at every single U.S. Governor and Senator. An environment where we have normalized extreme language and behaviors, however small or seemingly casual, activates those predisposed to violence. That’s the truth. It leads to people showing up at homes ready to kill . It leads to stalking our elected leaders . It leads to threatening our public servants . These aren’t “lone wolves” we can dismissively wave off. Data shows a surge in violent threats toward our elected officials.

The everyday offhanded or purposeful chipping away at what is acceptable must stop. We must create a new normal that rejects language and behavior that puts our elected officials, public servants, and ordinary citizens at risk of violence.

To create a new normal, we must ask ourselves: How can I hold my leaders accountable? How am I responsible? What behaviors will I accept, and what behaviors do I want to cast from the public sphere as too extreme? Can I change what I write on social media platforms? Can I align my vote with my political views and leadership behaviors I deem appropriate and safe?

Before our next newsletter, you will cast your ballot in this year’s midterm election. A new normal that we build for the future of our country is on the ballot, along with all the other issues and personal considerations you may have. When you cast your vote, consider what public life would look like without extreme partisan rhetoric. The health of our democracy and the safety of our people depend on it.

Extreme partisanship leads to violence. The escalation of rhetoric in America has already led to violence. It’s worth examining HOW so we can each act to stop it. Here are some components of partisan language that lead to violence, according to our partners at The Greater Good Science Center :

• Aggressive Language: When you and I post memes that call for or reference violence or elevate anger and disgust toward a group , we contribute to extreme partisan rhetoric that leads to violence.
• The antidote to this is compassion .
• Moral Convergence: When you and I join with others in what we see as a moral fight , we feel bolstered and supported in our feelings of contempt and fury. The support of our in-group (the people “on our side”) allows us to discount nuanced thinking and rush headlong into aggressive partisan rhetoric and violence.??
• The antidotes for this are curiosity and nuanced communication .
• Peer Pressure: When your entire inner circle (family, friends, media) is saying something that makes you feel uneasy, it’s hard to speak up against them. We aren’t wired to go against the grain; we must build our courage and train ourselves to do it.??
• The antidote for this is to be a courageous contrarian (see Week Three of our newly launched Finding the Way Out challenge ).

Updates from our movement:

Watch Now

• We’re excited to launch our collaboration with renowned depolarization scholar and Starts With Us Expert-in-Residence Peter T. Coleman , bringing his Finding The Way Out depolarization challenge to the world. Our 7-day version of the challenge will be posted daily on Instagram as we head towards Election Day on 11/8. Don’t stop there — the complete, in-depth 4-week challenge is on our website. It’s packed with insights, inspiration, tools, and tips to sharpen your thinking and help our country depolarize. It’s best done in groups, so invite your friends and reply to this email to let us know how the challenge is going!
• The tech industry continues to take notice of our #MoneyTalks augmented reality filter on Instagram, this time in a detailed feature by Marty Swant for Digiday .
• SWU’s Tom Fishman was featured on the 12 Geniuses podcast . Tune in to learn how the 3Cs are a salve to our raw-nerve culture wars and can catalyze us to realize our individual potential.
• Tom’s on a roll! Check him out in Forbes ?discussing how we can use what’s great about social media to overcome what’s wrong with social media.
• Don’t miss our newest episode of 3Cs in History featuring our own Ama A., which picked up over 200k views in the first 24 hours after we posted it. We look back at John McCain’s classy response to misinformation in the 2008 election.

We are starting with us. We hope you are too.

With curiosity, compassion, and courage,

The Starts With Us Team