This is a reblog of a post I issued back on 3/1/21. I was motivated to repost it because I recently participated in a wonderful series of mindfulness seminars available at my job. The issues and response strategies remain the same so I felt it appropriate to re-visit. Plus, Thanksgiving dinner is fast approaching so advice to counter animosity at the dinner table seemed timely
The growing number of outlandish conspiracy theories and factual inaccuracies (aka fake news) prompted me to list some responses that I present for consideration and further discussion.
I propose a multi-tier level of responses ranging from conciliatory to debatable to “oh hell no, that’s crazy talk”.
Conciliatory and empathetic:
- “You sound like you have a lot of pent up anger. What brought you to this position?”
- “Have you held this belief for a long time or did you come to believe it more recently?”
- I can see how your life experiences have shaped these beliefs. Likewise, are you willing to consider how they might be inaccurate?
Within this category might be the admonishment of “walking a mile in the others shoes” and “considering both sides of the coin”
Debatable and pleasantly/respectfully argumentative:
- What is your source?
- Have you checked other sources?
- Have you absolutely verified the facts. Likewise, have you…
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