Author Archives: Fred McNulty

About Fred McNulty

프레드 맥널티

A guide: Talking with those who disagree

Starting in January 2021, I have been a part of Passionfruit, a multilingual online non-profit publication centered around social justice. I have written a number of different opinion pieces for Passionfruit that I will be reposting. The posts were intended for bite-sized consumption, which challenges me to be as succinct as possible while still conveying important concepts. The original post with full credits can be found here.


May 11, 2021

We’ve all been there – a family member makes a problematic comment, an acquaintance shares a questionable meme, or a colleague spreads misinformation. It can be difficult to know just what to do when friends and family have opposing views on political and social issues. While no one guide could possibly capture all of the nuances and details of all situations, there are some common considerations to think about before speaking up.

Although it can be tempting to immediately respond to something you disagree with, exercising some restraint can go a long way. Is the person with whom you are disagreeing receptive to pushback? Is it likely that a disagreement will be taxing for your mental health? Do a cost-benefit analysis: is it really worth it? Pushing back against problematic claims is laudable, but it’s unfair to pressure yourself to feel that you must take on the world alone.

Ideally, presenting someone with a cohesive argument would lead them to change their mind on the spot; in reality, conversations almost never go that way. Aiming to quickly change someone’s mind is unrealistic. A more manageable goal might be to create doubt in their core assumptions. If they oppose universal healthcare because it’s “too expensive,” sow doubt in that premise. What does “too expensive” mean? Would it be less costly than doing nothing? Who should be paying these costs?‍

Unless you are having a private one-on-one conversation, keep in mind that others around you can also be positively impacted by your advocacy. You might not be able to convince that coworker who shares an offensive meme on social media – but your public comments will be read by all of their followers. Or if a relative is bad-mouthing LGBTQ people at dinner, your protestations may show support to someone at the table who isn’t out of the closet. You never know who might be inspired by your words.

People often use extreme or atypical examples to support their case. An example of this would be supporting the death penalty and citing the Boston bomber as evidence – when the vast majority of people on death row have not committed such heinous crimes. It can often be helpful to cut through these provocative examples to see what they really think. How do they feel outside of the specific case they brought up? If you can, understanding their true feelings will help you craft a better response.

Right-wing personality Ben Shapiro may have popularized the phrase “facts don’t care about your feelings,” but studies have shown humans are more likely to be swayed by arguments with which they emotionally resonate instead of mere facts or logic alone. The best arguments are logically-cohesive, evidence-driven, but crafted to appeal to one’s emotions. For example, instead of talking about universal basic income solely in terms of case studies, talk about how it would have personally helped you.

Sometimes disengaging from a conversation is the best choice. Maybe the person with whom you disagree is becoming belligerent or maybe the topic itself is making you feel deeply uncomfortable. Perhaps the conversation has become unproductive, or you simply do not feel like continuing. How you disengage is entirely up to the circumstances of each discussion, but the important thing is that you are doing what you feel is right. There is no shame in ending a conversation that has passed its prime.

It can be easy to think of the person with whom you disagree as an “opponent,” but in most cases it is more effective to instead consider them a friend. Doing so can allow you to use shared values and experiences to bridge divides. Imagine telling your conservative relative, “We all know how hard dad worked to put himself through college and how much it helped our family. That’s why I support free higher education opportunities.” Change won’t happen overnight, but you can play an important role.

Sources

가이드: 의견이 다른 사람들과 대화하기

2021년 1월부터 저는 사회정의 콘텐츠를 올리는 패션프루트에서 글을 쓰고 있어요. 거기서 올린 글은 여기에도 동시에 올리고 있어요. 저는 글을 영어로 썼는데, 주사랑 씨가 한국어로 번역하셨어요. (감사합니다!) 원래 포스트는 여기서 읽을 수 있어요.


2021년 5월 11일

우리 모두는 이런 경험을 해보았을겁니다 – 가족중에 한명이 문제적인 이야기를 꺼내거나, 지인은 의문스러운 밈을 공유하거나, 동료가 잘못된 정보를 퍼뜨렸을겁니다. 친구나 가족이 정치적, 사회적 문제에 대해 반대 의견을 가질 때 어떻게 해야 할지 아는 것은 어려울 수 있습니다. 어떤 가이드도 모든 상황의 미묘한 차이와 세부 사항을 모두 파악할 수는 없지만, 말하기 전에 고려해야 할 몇 가지 공통적인 고려 사항이 있습니다. Continue reading

The First Korean American Women in Congress

Starting in January 2021, I have been a part of Passionfruit, a multilingual online non-profit publication centered around social justice. I have written a number of different opinion pieces for Passionfruit that I will be reposting. The posts were intended for bite-sized consumption, which challenges me to be as succinct as possible while still conveying important concepts. The original post with full credits can be found here.


April 20, 2021

From 1789 through 2020, no Korean women had ever served in the U.S. Congress; in January 2021, there were three. Michelle Eunjoo Steel and Young Oak Kim–Republicans from California–and Marilyn Strickland–a Democrat from Washington state–were all elected in November 2020. South Korean media covered these historic elections, and even has reported on subsequent actions taken by the congresswomen. If these politicians are poised to receive coverage in the Korean press, it is important to know who they are and what they stand for. Continue reading

미국 의회에 진출한 첫 한국계 미국인 여성들

2021년 1월부터 저는 사회정의 콘텐츠를 올리는 패션프루트에서 글을 쓰고 있어요. 거기서 올린 글은 여기에도 동시에 올리고 있어요. 저는 글을 영어로 썼는데, 정주영 씨가 한국어로 번역하셨어요. (감사합니다!) 원래 포스트는 여기서 읽을 수 있어요.


2021년 4월 20일

1789년부터 2020년에 이르기까지, 미국 의회에 진출한 한국계 여성은 단 한 명도 없었습니다. 그러나 2021년 1월부터는 세 명으로 늘었습니다. 2020년 11월 실시된 미국 하원 의원 선거 결과, 캘리포니아주에서 공화당의 미셸 박 스틸(한국명 박은주)과 영 김(한국명 김영옥)이, 워싱턴주에서 민주당의 메릴린 스트리클런드가 당선된 것입니다. 한국 언론에서도 이 역사적인 선거 결과를 다룬 것은 물론이고, 세 신진 의원들의 당선 후 활동까지 보도했습니다. 이처럼 한국 언론에도 오르내린 이들은 과연 어떤 사람, 어떤 정치인일까요? Continue reading

Who Is: Kamala Harris

Starting in January 2021, I have been a part of Passionfruit, a multilingual online non-profit publication centered around social justice. I have written a number of different opinion pieces for Passionfruit that I will be reposting. The posts were intended for bite-sized consumption, which challenges me to be as succinct as possible while still conveying important concepts. The original post with full credits can be found here.


March 5, 2021

Mere minutes before Joe Biden became the forty-sixth President of the United States, Kamala Harris was sworn in as the country’s forty-ninth Vice President. The child of Jamaican and Indian parents, Harris worked her way up through the ranks of California politics to now hold the second highest office in the nation. No one knows if Biden will run again in 2024. If he chooses not to, Harris seems to be an obvious strong contender for the White House–which makes it all the more important to understand who she is and what she stands for. Continue reading

카멀라 해리스는 누구인가?

2021년 1월부터 저는 사회정의 콘텐츠를 올리는 패션프루트에서 글을 쓰고 있어요. 거기서 올린 글은 여기에도 동시에 올리고 있어요. 저는 글을 영어로 썼는데, 한시은 씨가 한국어로 번역하셨어요. (감사합니다!) 원래 포스트는 여기서 읽을 수 있어요.


2021년 3월 5일

조 바이든이 미국의 46대 대통령이 되기 불과 몇 분 전, 카멀라 해리스는 미국의 49대 부통령으로서 취임 선서를 했습니다. 자메이카와 인도계 부모 사이에서 태어난 해리스는 캘리포니아 정치계를 거쳐, 미국에서 두 번째로 높은 직책까지 올라오게 되었습니다. 바이든의 2024년 출마 여부는 아직 밝혀지지 않았지만, 그가 출마하지 않는다면 해리스의 백악관 입성 가능성은 높아집니다. 그러므로 그녀가 누구이고, 그녀가 상징하는 것이 무엇인지 이해하는 것은 매우 중요합니다. Continue reading

11 ways that your Democratic Town Committee can be more effective

When you think of “local politics,” what image is conjured in your mind? Maybe it’s a candidate talking to people in a local diner, or perhaps debate night being held in a public gymnasium. For the more cynical among us, maybe it’s “debates” in local Facebook groups, or politicians making deals in smoky backrooms. While there may be truth in each of these stereotypes, the answer I fall back on comes from my time in Connecticut: political parties’ town committees. Having recently moved to New York, I have spent some time thinking about my experience with Democratic Town Committees, specifically what tactics brought them success – and which did not. Continue reading

Ignore the naysayers: Why the protests for Black lives did not boost COVID-19 numbers

On July 13 of this year, the Twitter account of Prager University (which is actually a conservative YouTube channel, not a real educational institution) posted a photo of a protest for Black lives accompanied with the following caption:

There’s a lot to unpack here. While this is only one tweet from one account, many in the conservative media have echoed its claims. I could certainly write a lengthy article concerning this single tweet, but I want to focus specifically on a trope that has become common in right-wing discourse: In this post I will explore the validity of the claim that protests for Black lives have spread COVID-19, and what these repetitions of the claim say about the political discourse of the United States.

Continue reading

The ‘War on Christmas’ is annoying – but it’s a window into the conservative movement

When you think of Donald Trump’s policy positions, you likely think of his anti-immigration stances, tax cuts for the wealthy, and, of course, the infamous unbuilt border wall. But there’s another policy that Trump speaks about with surprising frequency: saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy holidays.” Think I’m joking? I’m not: he says it all the time, and you can check out this montage if you don’t believe me.

You’re likely rolling your eyes right now, and I don’t blame you; honestly this is a pretty pathetic issue to get riled up about. But Trump’s fixation on Christmas exemplifies an oft-overlooked tactic among U.S. conservatives: self-victimization. Continue reading

Uber and Airbnb are convenient, but at what cost?

Remember Napster? In the late 1990s, Napster was the go-to place to download free MP3s. I have fond memories of downloading *NSYNC and Blink 182 songs before Napster was shut down by a court injunction. In retrospect, it’s hard to imagine why someone thought they would get away with so blatantly ripping off the music industry, but the reality is that institutions not keeping up with technology allowed for tech-savvy folks to exploit the slow-moving legal system to provide people with a cheaper alternative.

It may seem like this happened eons ago, but we’re going through the same thing today. Only instead of free MP3s, we’re experiencing that same dynamic with Uber, Airbnb, and similar applications–but with much worse consequences. Continue reading