S5 E5 | Give the Devil His Due: Open Mindedness for the Sake of Serenity

The Dissidents

In this week's episode Elizabeth and Matt start by discussing an Op-Ed about the dangers of demonizing Donald Trump. The author (David Scharfenberg) reminds us that when we label a person or group as evil we tend to look away. We may focus on fighting against an enemy, dehumanize, and become more afraid than proactive. We also do not learn. Elizabeth reveals that she chose the article because she recognized her own biases in the description. She admits to demonizing both ideological extremes, and feels squeezed by the potential threats. Matt first suggests that we try to find shared values to remind ourselves of our common humanity. Elizabeth is very skeptical of that strategy, but is more receptive to assurances that we can turn to our own core values and principles for respite and strength. This episode is a little bit of talk therapy for the politically exhausted.

Podcast notes

Boston Globe Article: "Dealing with the Devil" by David Scharfenberg https://edition.pagesuite.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popover.aspx?artguid=9b0cb8e2-4801-487e-8fa9-dbf0fd531d03&appcode=BOSGLO&eguid=2df733aa-711b-4c1c-8cf4-bb49b7d95a38&pnum=110#

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