For liberals, talking to Donald Trump supporters was never a treat. And after their candidate “won” the election, it became next to impossible to hold a reasonable conversation with one.
After the election, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes hosted townhall-style events with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) where they went into areas they labeled “Trump country” to engage Trump’s supporters.
The dialogue was surprisingly constructive. The senator was able to connect with a lot of people who voted for a man who’s almost his exact ideological opposite.
There’s no question that Trump supporters think on a different frequency than liberals; however, what the show illustrated was that there are a few commonalities Americans can focus on when trying to open a dialogue.
Based on this, we came up with seven questions that you can ask the conservative person or persons in your life, concerning the topic of accountability:
- If Trump attacks and tries to discredit anyone who questions or criticizes him, how will you hold him accountable?
- Do you think Fox News and online conservative media outlets like Breitbart are going to hold him accountable?
- When in your mind, does Trump’s continued use of the term “fake news” turn from “calling out the dishonest media” to diminishing honest journalism?
- What happens if you find yourself at odds with him on an issue and treats you (or at least people who feel as you do) the same way he treats his “enemies”?
- How will you be able to objectively gauge his success or failure?
- Do you think his success or failure makes any difference in your life?
- Do you care if his success or failure affects other people?
For all those who are patient and brave enough to engage in this sociopolitical experiment, please keep in mind that when asking these questions it’s important to allow them to answer fully.
It will be tempting to interrupt and debate, but for us to fully understand why they feel the way they do, it’s important to listen and document their answers.
A common complaint among Trump voters is that they feel they are not “listened” to without judgment. While it’s impossible not to judge most of their positions and rationalizations, it may be more important to let them know that you are listening.
Respectful disagreement isn’t easy, but it does go a long way toward opening minds.
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Featured image via screenshot from YouTube video
