Category Archives: English

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

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

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

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

Why you should already care about privacy

After seeing the title of this post, many readers have already judged what I am about to say. Perhaps after rolling their eyes, these readers imagine me wearing a tin foil hat, muttering to myself about “them” watching my every move, and writing this article on an internet-less computer running only MS-DOS. But in reality, I’m not a conspiracy theory-peddling recluse, and I use the same technology and apps that many people do. I haven’t even deleted my Facebook account in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal! But, recently I’ve been increasingly concerned about my privacy rights–and there’s a good reason why everyone should. Continue reading

Reforming U.S. elections won’t happen overnight – but let’s start the discussion

In part one of what has become a series of postings, I wrote about what the Democrats can do to improve their party structure. In part two, I wrote about how the Democrats can improve their politicking. While these two articles touched on how the Democrats can improve their own party, this coverage avoided any focus on the structure of the political system, and how that affects Democrats’ ability to campaign and govern. Gerrymandering, money in politics, and voting procedures are key institutional factors that prevent good candidates from winning and enacting decent policies.  Continue reading

Democrats still have a lot to learn from Bernie Sanders – even if some don’t like him

In my previous article, I touched on some broad ideas that could help the Democratic Party. In short, I argued for fighting corruption, strong messaging, and restoring trust. However, shortly after publishing the piece, I felt that something was missing from my suggestions: actual politics. If the Democrats are unable to deliver strong policies and political strength, then what’s the point? Continue reading