Civil Discourse in the Age of Hostility

It Won't Be Easy

A recent study by Pew Research suggests there's an increasing partisan divide in this country. There's evidence of divisions within Republicans and Democrats not just between Republicans and Democrats. The Republican coalition is divided by immigration, global economic engagement, acceptance of homosexuality. The four groups in the Democratic coalition differ on a number of issues: While they all strongly support the social safety net, the Democratic-leaning groups are divided on government regulation of business, and government performance more generally. And like the GOP coalition, they disagree on U.S. global involvement.

Throw into this mix the partisan politics that result in a do nothing congress and the divisive nature of presidential politics and you have people who more are willing to call each other names than to look for commonalities to solve problems. According to the report the extremists on both sides are the most likely to be politically active and, therefore, have the most influence. The Pew Study says, "The power of partisanship is reflected in attitudes about Donald Trump. In the survey, conducted in June, Trump’s job ratings are more deeply polarized along partisan lines than those of any president in more than 60 years."

I think it's explained by an anonymous source as, "There's my enlightened point of view...everybody else is a brain dead zealot." There's not a whole lot of room for conversation after that, nor was anybody invited to interject anything constructive. Angry tweets laced with name calling do not lend themselves to mutually agreeable outcomes.

The Answer

Civil discourse is engagement in discourse intended to enhance understanding. ... David Gergen describes civil discourse as "the language of dispassionate objectivity", and suggests that it requires respect of the other participants, such as the reader.

Our local paper (yes, I still read the paper), until recently, included commentary on a daily basis with columnists from the left and right. It was something I looked forward to. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints on issues facing all of us. These were thoughtful and well-considered viewpoints which pretty much eliminates people who think the earth is flat. I think the reasoned and thoughtful discussion is important to gain a better perspective of what the other side is offering. If we just yell at each other, nothing will get accomplished.

Conservative Columnist David Brooks of the New York Times recently wrote a column about dealing with fanaticism. Brooks mentions four incidents within the past two weeks. The first was at a Nationals game. A pro Trump supporter went into a 10 minute, profanity laced tirade directed at Brooks, his wife and his son.Then he watched a debate among students about whether extremists should be allowed on campus. In Spain Brooks is told by leaders in Madrid that there was no way to have constructive discussions with separatists. Finally, Brooks was with pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit activists trying to have a civil conversation with one another. The conclusion he reaches is biblical. Love your enemy.

Brooks suggests you listen and engage. Paraphrase what is being said to show you're interested instead of attacking back. "Finally, it’s best to greet fanaticism with love for the sake of the country. As Stephen L. Carter points out in his 1998 book, Civility, the best abolitionists restrained their natural hatred of slaveholders because they thought the reform of manners and the abolition of slavery were part of the same cause — to restore the dignity of every human being."

Civility, Carter writes, “is the sum of the many sacrifices we are called to make for the sake of living together.”

If you're looking for the biblical passage about loving your enemy, here are two... Luke 6:27-36  and  Matthew 5:43-48. 

Civility is not not saying negative or harsh things. It is not the absence of critical analysis. It is the manner in which we are sharing this territorial freedom of political discussion. If our discourse is yelled and screamed and interrupted and patronized, that's uncivil. -Richard Dreyfuss
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9/11 Paradigm Shift

Where was I on 9/11? 

I was in Baltimore. I arrived the night before for the Public Radio Program Directors Association (PRPD) Conference. I signed up for a pre-conference session with a management consultant. The all-day session was about getting the most out of on-air talent.

I rose on 9/11 to a clear and sunny day. It was glorious. I opened the curtains and looked out from my hotel room onto the inner harbor. The sun was gleaming off the water.

I noticed a helicopter gunship fixed in place, making circles. Until it got to me. The ship stopped. It seemed clear they were looking at me. I backed away from the window. The gunship resumed it circling. This was about a half-hour before the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

Part of what we focused on at the start of the session was managing in an era of a paradigm shift. The idea was to get our talent to continue to strive relevance in a changing world. In this sense it's a shift in how we think and talk about things. A paradigm shift for my parents was World War II. As this discussion started to unfold, one of the PRPD board members came into our session to tell us a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The meeting was over.

9/11 was a paradigm shift. My boss lamented the events of that day by saying, "This changes everything." He meant that everything that was expected of Public Radio was about to change. What we covered and how we covered it was going to take on a greater importance. Everything else was going to have less relevance. He was right. I saw a challenge as we struggled to grasp what had happened and what this meant for the future. He felt the loss of the way things used to be. With any paradigm we have no control over the catalyst that brings about the change. We change our perspective to adapt.

The change in what was expected on Public Radio didn't happen overnight, but the audience began to shift for us from a classical imperative to a news imperative. The shift happened faster than we could adjust for it, but by 2005 it was clear to us the changes that happened and what we had to do about those changes.

The relevance in this case was the sociological change brought about by the events of 9/11. Those events changed everything.

Fighting Slavery

From Empathy to Action

It may seem hard for people who care about the welfare of the stranger to find something positive after the decision by President Trump to end DACA. The future of the Dreamers is now in the hands of a congress that has been deeply divided on this issue for at least 10 years.


DACA was originally set up as a compassionate act. After several years of inaction by congress the policy was set in place by President Obama. Children were sent here by their family to escape poverty, war , hunger and slavery. According to Reference.com Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy, certain individuals who immigrated to the United States as children are able to request deferred action on their immigration status for two years, explains the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Certain guidelines must be met in order to qualify.

The need for a safe haven for children is urgent.

NPR reports the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people around the world has topped 65 million according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.The reports goes on to say,"One in every 113 people on Earth has now been driven from their home by persecution, conflict and violence or human rights violations. Two other ways to wrap your mind around that number: Each minute, 24 people around the world flee their home because of violence or persecution. And if the world's displaced people were their own nation, it would be larger than the United Kingdom." The problem of refugees is not going away any time soon.

• According to UNICEF 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. 
• UNICEF estimates 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.

Among the those living in poverty are individuals being sold into slavery. One group that works to free people from slavery The International Justice Mission (IJM) says, "Millions of the world’s poor are trapped in slavery, because there’s no one there to protect them. In many places, the laws against slavery simply aren’t enforced by the police and courts—so slave owners and traffickers know they can prey on the poor without fear of any consequences at all."

• Many of the impoverished children are sold into slavery. 
• There are more people in slavery today than at anytime in history...over 45 million.  
• Five million are children. At least one in four is in India.
• Over 800,000 have been sold into slavery so far this year.
• 1.2 million children are being trafficked every year.

IJM isn't just reporting on this situation, they have put their words into action. To find out more about IJM's mission and how they putting thoughts into action, watch this video.

IJM is a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world. They fight against slavery, sex trafficking, sexual violence, police brutality, property grabbing, and citizens rights abuse.

Giving Up on Millennials

It's Not An Option

Applebees announced they are giving up on Millennials. Their decision has implications for Public Media.

Applebee's Gives Up On Millennials After Failed Rebranding Efforts

They declared their attempt to rebrand themselves a failure. Business has been down and the restaurant chain was hoping to draw new customers from the largest generation right now...the millennials. 

Applebees' executive, John Cywinski, told NPR, "From my perspective, this pursuit led to decisions that created confusion among core guests as Applebee's intentionally drifted from its ... middle-America roots and its abundant value positioning." 

One of the things I was taught is that rebranding can lead to the situation described by John Cywinski. It is fraught with danger. Remember the New Coke, Crystal Pepsi, Mustang II, and when Radio Shack became The Shack?

Chains like Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, Chili's and Friday's are seeing business fall off. Anna Lucia Murillo's feature for All Things Considered points to research by Technomic that finds all these people are offering the same food items, the decors are the same, and also that prices have become very high in these places." Customers are drifting away.

There might be two solutions. 

First, don't assume Millennials are one giant marketing block. There are cohorts within that generation just like all the generations before it. Early research about the public radio audience suggested an affinity with Country Music fans when, in fact, there was very little crossover.

Second, to reach this generation might require taking on a whole new identity and platform. Creating a new platform allows the original concept to focus on strengthening it's hold on the core market (in the case of radio on the core audience) while creating a new identity and purpose for the new target audience.

Making Pies for Texas

Pecan Pie is a favorite among the people of Texas. Rooby Dooby's is  thinking of donating income from the sale of Pecan Pies toward relief efforts there. We would like your input. Do you like the idea? Would you be willing to order a pie? Let us know. By the way, you can have your pie with whipped cream of ice cream, but my favorite topping is bourbon sauce.

This comes at a time when the Pecan Growers are trying to increase consumption of the nut.  In an article in the Western Farm Press, Janet Helm of the Weber Shandwick ad agency which markets pecans on behalf of the American Pecan Council (APC) says, “We need to shift the view of pecans and get people to enjoy them all year long.”


When it comes to top of mind for consumers, the peanut still comes out on top. The APC is trying to change that.

In Texas the pecan has significance beyond pie. According to Wikipedia, In 1919, the Texas Legislature made the pecan tree the state tree of Texas where the town of San Saba claims to be "The Pecan Capital of the World".

Farewell Car Talk

The Best of Car Talk is going off the air at the end of September. 

Car Talk began recycling old material starting in 2012 when Tom could no longer participate in the show. Tom Magliozzi sadly passed away two years later. Without fresh material, it was only a matter of time before the show would end its run.

30 years is an amazing run. During the height of it's popularity on WNPR, Car Talk and Wait, Wait combined for the station's largest Average Quarter Hour Audience. Fundraising during that block of time was incredible.

One station, WPLN, is engaging its listeners with an invitation to share favorite memories of the show. That seems like a great way to engage listeners who have been faithful to Car Talk for years. The stations within earshot for me have not announced anything yet.

My question: Is it better to let the program slip away quietly, or acknowledge the place Car Talk has in minds of its many fans?

By letting it go, are you missing an opportunity to engage your listeners?

Thoughts?

Billboard Wars

The Battle for Market Share

Radio stations in highly competitive markets used to battle for attention with billboard wars. Along the Tri-State Tollway around Chicago there used to be several touting various formats as stations vied for another ratings point in a lucrative market.

The billboards increased awareness and were also meant to develop branding identity. Effective campaigns could do that with simple, uncluttered messages. It wasn't as effective at creating ratings share. In markets that were measured quarterly, there would often be a new crop of billboards for the Fall and Spring books in the hopes of building an audience.

On our most recent trip around Chicago, I didn't see any.

What's Changed?

I don't have the answers, but I can surmise.

Social Media - 

Social media is much more cost effective and with the right strategy can engage listeners directly.

Audience Measurement

The advent of PPM give Content Directors almost instant gratification on an hour-by-hour basis.

All things being equal, the data can give the station a pretty good idea if the billboard campaign is moving the needle at all. PPM also reinforces the idea that the most effective thing you can do is create great content and make effective use of forward promotion. Solid radio practices go a long way. Meeting listener expectations on a consistent basis generates loyalty and increases share.