Commentary: The “Meet and Speak” Challenge

Imagine seeing virtually everyone in town getting out of their cars, houses, and businesses on the same day and at the same time, once a year, just to have a friendly chat exclusively about politics with passersby, storekeepers, and even relatives you haven’t talked to in years. Bonus points for engaging with a complete stranger. Maybe pick your most disagreeable neighbor for starters.

“Meet and Speak’ is not a drive-by; time and patience are needed. At the appointed hour, start conversing with the first person you see and ask of him or her: Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. Then start talking, but more particularly listening, especially if you both view the world from different perspectives. Seeing as how we usually can’t do it when left to our own devices, that one day a year should be set aside as a holiday to bridge a gap, to propel us toward finding our common humanity. For if we can part ways willing to speak with each other again about the current political landscape, the worst-case scenario of polarization and alienation that we’re struggling with, there is progress. “Meet and Speak” is about deflating the elephant in the room.

In spite of appearances, we’re not all that different from one another. Unfortunately, we draw conclusions and get most of our information from the hysterical, opinionated media, loud fringe extremists, and ambitious politicians with dogma for sale. They’re all divisive sources of information. I don’t trust any of them. That’s why we should go directly to the source, ourselves.

All Trumpers are not right-wing gun-collecting fanatics, nor are snowflakes on the left plotting to take your money and give it to the poor so that illegal immigrants can buy 70-inch flat-screen TVs with playback. “Woke” needn’t be a trigger word eliciting fantasies of an enemy that doesn’t exist, rather what happens after you wake up, the past tense.

Maybe those of us who pretentiously parade the Stars and Stripes have more in common with the Rainbow flag than we think. Let’s find out why the opposition, whatever their point of view, believes what they believe. Maybe there are universal truths buried in the hyperbole. Who knows, you might even shock yourself and change your mind about something that suddenly no longer makes sense, something you’ve been hanging on to for so long you forget the source.

Let’s pick a day, Spring or Fall, to get out of the house and take a walk along the streets downtown or on a neighborhood sidewalk or country road, and talk to each other. Lemonade stands are magnets, better than the cliché water cooler. Sharing a nice cold beer on a hot day couldn’t hurt.

“Meet and Speak” Rules of Engagement: No violence or threat of such. Screaming matches are taboo; volume doesn’t score any points. Don’t argue for conversions, rather seek discussion, understanding, the reasoning behind another point of view. Winning is not the objective; there are no prizes. Group encounters may not work, too much grandstanding, try one-on-one. Quoting Fox News or MSNBC is silly. Give credit where credit is due. And seek out differences; preaching to the congregation is a waste of time.

There should be a “Meet and Speak” every day of the year. For now, let’s start with one. That will be challenge enough.