How Can We Teach Americans To Disagree? | MTP Daily

ORIGINALLY DELIVERED AS A LECTURE AT HIS OWN CONTROVERSIAL
INVITATION. PRETTY MOVED BY YOUR REMARKS I
READ AND GLAD WE HAVE YOU HERE FINALLY TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON, CHUCK.
>> THE ARGUMENT OF DISAGREEMENT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM PRE-TRUMP.
SEEMS MORE ACUTE NOW. >> LOOK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO
BACK AND WATCH, FOR INSTANCE, WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY'S SHOW, "THE
FIRING LINE." HE'D HAVE INTELLECTUAL
ADVERSARIES, COULD GET VERY HEATED AND WAS SHARP.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADE THOSE ENCOUNTERS SO RICH AND SO
INTERESTING, ESPECIALLY TO INTELLIGENT PEOPLE IS BUCKLEY
AND HIS GUESTS UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER WELL, AND SO WHEN THEY
WERE DEBATING THEY COULD ACTUALLY LOCK HORNS IN A
SIGNIFICANT WAY, AND THERE WAS A CHANCE THEY, YOU KNOW, A
POSSIBILITY THAT ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER WOULD BE PERSUADED.
WE JUST DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE. WE KIND OF SIT ON OUR SEPARATE
ISLANDS OF IDEOLOGY, AND IDENTITY, AND WE SORT OF LOB --
WE -- WE LOB ARTILLERY SHELLS AT ONE ANOTHER WITHOUT ACTUALLY A
KIND OF BASIS OF COMMUNICATION. I THINK THAT'S WHY MANY OF US
FEEL THOSE OF US WHO ARE SORT OF SOMEWHERE IN THE CENTER OF
POLITICS, THAT THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY PERVERSE AND WRONG WITH
THE WAY THAT AMERICANS SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER IN MY VIEW,
CULMINATING IN THAT APPALLING STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ABOUT
COLIN KAEPERNICK.
. >> WHEN DO YOU FEEL THIS BEGAN?
SOMETHING DO YOU FEEL STARTED 40 YEARS AGO?
I HAVE MY OWN THEORY OW CAMPAIGNS HAVE TURNED INTO THIS
AND THEND I THINK IT'S THE MISUSE OF BIG DATA.
WE DON'T EVEN PERSUADE DURING CAMPAIGNS.
THE CANDIDATES DON'T ADVERTISE ON THE SAME ISSUES.
ONLY TRYING TO FIND LIKE-MINDED VOTES TO WIN AND, OF COURSE, NO
WAY TO GOVERN. BUT WHEN DO YOU THINK WE GOT
HERE CULTURETURALY? >> A HISTORIAN WOULD SAY WORSE
DURING THE YEARS OF ADAMS AND JEFFERSON.
IN THE LAST 20 YEARS I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED, TOO
EASILY WE INHABIT OUR KIND OF SOCIAL MEDIA FILTER BUBBLES IN
WHICH WE ONLY HEAR AND HAVE REFLECTED THE VIEWS THAT WE
AGREE WITH TO BEGIN WITH, AND THE SECOND THING IS, THAT TOO
MUCH OF TELEVISION HAS BECOME A KIND OF RAGE FACTORY FOR ONE
SIDE OR THE OTHER. WHEN THERE'S NEVER ANY ACTUAL
MEETING OF MINDS. YOU SIMPLY CARICATURE WHAT THE
OTHER SIDE HAS TO SAY OR THINK. UNPATRIOTIC OR NEANDERTHALS AND
ATTACK THE STRAW MAN AND IT'S BEEN GOING ON A LOT OF THE TIME.
PART OF THE PROBLEM IS ON CAMPUSES.
I DON'T THINK WE ARE TEACHING STUDENTS AS WELL AS WE OUGHT THE
ART OF PERSUASION AND HOW TO HANDLE A CONTROVERSY POINT OF
VIEW. >> PEOPLE POINT TO CABLE
TELEVISION AND TALK RADIO AS WELL.
GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE, AND SOME MAY FIRE AT ME FOR THIS, BUT I
DON'T THINK IT WAS HEALTHY WE HAD A CABLE NEWS CHANNEL RUN BY
A FORMER POLITICAL OPERATIVE. >> LOOK, A LOT OF IT BEGAN
EXACTLY WITH THAT. AND I HAVE TO SAY, IF THERE'S A
SILVER LINING TO THE TRUMP ELECTIONS THAT I THINK A LOT OF
NEWS MEDIA, AT LEAST CERTAINLY THE "NEW YORK TIMES" WHERE I NOW
WORK, WOKE UP TO THE FACT WE NEED TO HAVE A RICHER
CONVERSATION WITH A MUCH MORE DIVERSE SET OF VOICES.
I WAS JUST LISTENING TO YOUR PANEL JUST NOW WITH HUGH HEWITT.
THAT MODEL'S EXACTLY THE KINDS OF DISAGREEMENTS AND
CONVERSATIONS WE NEED TO HAVE. SO IF THE TRUMP ELECTION IS A
KIND OF COME TO JESUS MOMENT FOR A LOT OF THE MEDIA, SAYING TO
THEMSELVES, WHAT HAVE WE DONE? AS IT MAY BE, BY THE WAY, ALSO
FOR FACEBOOK, AT LEAST SOMETHING GOOD WOULD HAVE COME OUT OF LAST
NOVEMBER. >> WHILE I HAVE YOU HERE, NEWS
OF TOM PRICE. HOW MUCH OF THIS DO YOU FEEL IS
ACTUALTURAL? AS FAR AS THE -- OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION HERE AND I'M NOT TRYING TO EXCUSE TOM PRICE, BUT
HE LOOKS AROUND, SEES A CABINET FILLED WITH RICH PEOPLE WHO
ARE -- SEEMING TO BE ABLE TO DO THINGS ON THEIR OWN WITH A
SPECIAL SET OF RULES? >> THERE'S A KIND OF CULTURE OF
MORAL SLOVENLINESS AND LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY I THINK COMES
FROM THE TOP DOWN, BUT LISTEN, IN THE SPIRIT OF WHAT I WAS
SAYING EARLIER, AT THE END OF THE DAY THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE
COMMENDED FOR FIRING OR ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF TOM
PRICE FOR BEHAVIOR I THINK ALL OF US AGREE STRETCHED EVERY
BOUND OF PROPRIETY AND ETHICS. SO FROM TIME TO TIME EVEN I HAVE
TO GIVE THIS ADMINISTRATION THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.
THIS WAS THE RIGHT DECISION. >> IT'S FUNNY YOU SAY BENEFIT OF
DOUBT. THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT
NEITHER SIDE -- LAMAR ALEXANDER SAID SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY
REMINDED PLEA. ONE OF THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM
HOWARD BAKER, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN DEBATING THINK ABOUT
THE FACT MAYBE THE OTHER FELLA MIGHT BE RIGHT.
>> YEAH. THAT'S EXACTLY IT.
I THINK ANY INTELLIGENT PERSON HAS TO SAY TO HIMSELF, I COULD
BE WRONG. IN FACT, I THINK THAT'S THE
MARKET OF ALL INTELLIGENT PEOPLE.
>> WELL IF EVERYBODY STARTED
EVERY DEBATE WITH TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY COULD BE
WRONG ABOUT AN ISSUE, THEN THEY WOULD, I GUESS, YOUR ARGUMENT
IS, THEY'D ACTUALLY MAKE A BETTER CHASE ADVOCATING AGAINST
THAT ISSUE IF THAT'S TRULY THE WAY THEY FEEL.
>> HUMILITY NEVER HURTS. >> A TERRIFIC, A COLUMN FORUM.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THE SPEECH AS YOU DELIVERED IT.
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How Can We Teach Americans To Disagree? | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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