{"id":1083,"date":"2020-01-31T04:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T10:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2020-01-30T16:44:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T22:44:41","slug":"what-happened-to-moderation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lindagorchels.com\/blogs\/what-happened-to-moderation\/","title":{"rendered":"What happened to moderation?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I remember growing up believing that moderation was a good<\/em> thing. Eating and drinking were rarely good or bad per se, as long not done to excess. Sunshine was a healthy source of vitamin D, if exposure was limited to avoid sunburn. Working hard was valued, but so were social connections with family and friends. And the middle class was large and relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that was then, and this is now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re living in an increasingly polarized society. The far\nright and far left are growing at the expense of the center. Economic\ninequality is creating haves<\/em> and have-nots<\/em> to the detriment of\nthe have-somes<\/em>. And posts to news articles are pro or con, black or\nwhite. Social media has enabled people to live within their chosen bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is nothing wrong with having a strongly held\nopinion, there is a need to\u2014at least occasionally\u2014be open to different\nperspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about social media reactions to news articles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s one example. Comments following a narrative about\nmicro-schools with mixed-age classrooms were predictable. Most suggested that\neither all<\/em> traditional public education is bad, or all<\/em>\nalternative approaches are bad. There weren\u2019t too many in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extremes follow other stories, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corporations are evil and government is necessary to oversee\nthem. Government is evil and society would be better run by corporations. Can\u2019t\nthey learn something from each other?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there seems to be precious middle-ground in terms of\nguns, healthcare, or the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t even bring up religion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even work-life balance can\u2019t escape politics. A recent\nSociety for Human Resource Management survey found that over 40% of American\nworkers have political\ndisagreements at work<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no easy answers, but here are two options. One\napproach favors striving to listen to\u2014without bias, defending, or attacking\u2014the\nopposing viewpoints. One Small Step and Local Voices Network fall into this\ncamp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n