At long last, the physical barriers around the Capitol in DC are coming down. For many Americans, these walls in our nation's capital represent the forces that divide us along political, religious, racial, and other lines — forces that seem like they’ll remain in place long after the Capitol fencing is gone.
Like the physical barriers which prevent the capital city of a free nation from returning to normal, political and cultural barriers must be addressed to reunite our nation. This can’t happen without discussing important issues constructively, so we have begun using The Decision Point Method of contextual dialogue to increase respect without violating the values we hold dear. This Method of political discussion was developed by Polity, a non-partisan organization dedicated to helping local governments, activists, and average citizens improve dialogue and find real common ground.
Both of the authors are dedicated to helping young Americans become constructive, politically engaged citizens. We know that the disagreements that young people have are similar to those in communities of all ages, races, income, and other demographics all across the country —but also that what we’ve seen in Washington brings tempers to boiling far more often. The White House, Congress, and an entire industry of self-interested advocacy groups and activists often don’t set great examples to the rest of us; even the question of DC Statehood has been turned into a national partisan conflict.
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