DC's Fences are Coming Down — Let’s Take Down Our Political Barriers Next
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.
So how do we approach divisive political issues in a constructive way that lowers the heat? The first step is to stop with the types of one-line zingers that increase the political heat and put partisan victory over creating impactful and productive conversations. For example, last year Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser approved a large “Black Lives Matter” mural to be painted on 16th Street. Then, someone added a “Defund The Police” mural that the mayor ordered to be paved over. Last month, two teenage girls carjacked an immigrant delivery driver, horrifically killing him. Bowser posted a generic Tweet on how to avoid carjacking — an attempt to help people avoid being carjacked that was interpreted as insensitive and victim-blaming at a time when criminal activity is increasing.
Two sensitive local situations, and two responses that had many people nationally taking to social media to voice their dissatisfaction. But since arguing about politics rarely gets us anywhere, whether online or in person, we need a better way to discuss the actions of elected officials. Recently, Mayor Bowser requested National Guard troops to bolster security in case of civil unrest following the verdict in the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Such decisions are likely to anger many DC residents, which is why it’s even more important that we discuss them in a sober and substantive way. The mayor has a responsibility to allow people to exercise their First Amendment Rights. She also has a responsibility to maintain order and prevent harm to homes, businesses, and innocent people. What is the realistic range of options she can take that balances these two priorities? And how would any of us approach this challenge if we were in her place? This is the core of the Decision Point Method: focusing on the processes and considerations necessary for functional governance without compromising values.
It’s very hard to convince others that our specific beliefs are the best. And it’s even harder to find elected officials whose priorities perfectly match our own. But we all want to improve our communities and our country. Identifying the problems we can solve, and thinking about them as if we were the ones tasked with solving them, is how we move away from political arguments that can only escalate and towards conversations that bring us closer to a just and functioning society. Now that the barriers that separate the Capitol from its citizens are coming down, the barriers that divide us as Americans must follow suit.
Manu Meel is CEO of BridgeUSA. Daniel Acosta Rivas is CEO of Students for Free Speech and a senior at American University.
