Imagine what we call the “controversy scale,” which plots subjects of disagreement along a straight line. The real danger comes when the topic drifts farther to the right on the controversy scale. People from more advantaged social groups and less advantaged ones almost always locate relevant issues at different positions on the controversy scale. Many people fail to take the imaginative leap of considering how their own position on the controversy scale might differ from others’. Learning to disagree respectfully is a gift you give yourself, but it’s also one you give to your conversation partner.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 29, 2023 23:15 UTC