In order to understand (comprehend) others it is very helpful to understand the model of reality by which they navigate the world. We can observe from child development that there are 3 basic models of reality.
The most complex model is the one by wich I had always assumed most adults had - capacity for a reflective mode of thinking. My assessment now is that less than half the population is capable of this and when people are overwhelmed that capacity degrades.
The next basic model of reality is what people might call transactional or quid pro quo. The third is an early model in which the person imagines that others determine their actions, e.g. "you made me hit you (because you made me angry)."
I wrote briefly about this in my blog and hope to write more to explain this further.
T James, that certainly tracks -- reflective (or critical) thinking is certainly the goal (and all sides often feel they're doing it right), but the reality of the world suggests we can't always teach pure critical or reflective thinking right out of the gate. As you say, the vast majority of folks tend to think transactionally or blaming "others."
Dr. Tamerius and I are big fans of Arlie Hochschild and her work in seeking out peoples' "deep stories," the narratives they tell themselves about who they are, why what they're doing it right, and who they blame (In Strangers in Their Own Land and more recently in Stolen Pride).
By convincing the people who didn’t bother to vote last time to vote next time. I think a lot of people just thought there was no way he could win and they didn’t bother to vote.
I will say, Smart Politics isn't really geared toward talking to politicians or organizing voter turnout -- we 100% support (and often hold webinars for) groups like Indivisible, who organize those things VERY well!
The challenge Smart Politics tries to address is how do we vote Trumpist politicians out with big enough margins to overcome voter suppression? How do we gain enough Congressional representation to move progressive legislation forward in the future, once we have power back? How do we mitigate long-term moderate/independent voter apathy or disengagement, and inevitable electoral backlash like in 2016 and 2024?
We're going to need both the disengaged non-voters you rightly mention and one-time Trump voters in the next elections to do those things. But even before that, we want to if not secure support at least lower the hatred and active opposition from some Trump voters when the time comes for us to take to the streets and march for our basic rights and free and fair elections.
We believe talking to Trump supporters now not only helps us in the immediate battles (both electoral and activist) but also the long-term health of our nation and democracy, especially our ability to talk to folks with opposing viewpoints without both sides demonizing the other.
That's why we teach and encourage talking to Trump voters right now, while absolutely supporting all voter mobilization efforts in 2026 and '28.
(I should also add that absolutely part of the Smart Politics conversational work IS with the unengaged types of non-voters you mention -- we encourage talking to them as well as "Trump voters." Every bit helps on every front)
Thank you! I appreciate your comments! Do you feel this sort of Smart Politics work (talking to Trump voters) is doable and effective? Or do you have your doubts?
Either way, I hope you'll hang around here a bit on our Substack, if you'd like to learn more about what we do and how we do it.
But how do we get them voted out in 2026 and 2028? And how do we face all the challenges to democracy and our civil rights in the year and a half before the midterms?
These are some of the things Smart Politics tries to address, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on what we should be doing right now!
In order to understand (comprehend) others it is very helpful to understand the model of reality by which they navigate the world. We can observe from child development that there are 3 basic models of reality.
The most complex model is the one by wich I had always assumed most adults had - capacity for a reflective mode of thinking. My assessment now is that less than half the population is capable of this and when people are overwhelmed that capacity degrades.
The next basic model of reality is what people might call transactional or quid pro quo. The third is an early model in which the person imagines that others determine their actions, e.g. "you made me hit you (because you made me angry)."
I wrote briefly about this in my blog and hope to write more to explain this further.
T James, do you have a link to the part of your blog that addresses this? I'd love to read it!
https://open.substack.com/pub/tjamesfallon?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=48xa5g
T James, that certainly tracks -- reflective (or critical) thinking is certainly the goal (and all sides often feel they're doing it right), but the reality of the world suggests we can't always teach pure critical or reflective thinking right out of the gate. As you say, the vast majority of folks tend to think transactionally or blaming "others."
Dr. Tamerius and I are big fans of Arlie Hochschild and her work in seeking out peoples' "deep stories," the narratives they tell themselves about who they are, why what they're doing it right, and who they blame (In Strangers in Their Own Land and more recently in Stolen Pride).
Love this!! Let’s go for these conversations…https://open.substack.com/pub/nealbrodskylmft/p/100-conversations?r=ez7m&utm_medium=ios
You are so welcome, Locke. May our energies align to bring out all the good we can for the children who will inherit the world we leave them.
Neal, I LOVE your post -- looks like we're very closely aligned on what needs to be done and how to do it, thank you!!
We just need to out vote them.
By convincing the people who didn’t bother to vote last time to vote next time. I think a lot of people just thought there was no way he could win and they didn’t bother to vote.
I agree (again!)
I will say, Smart Politics isn't really geared toward talking to politicians or organizing voter turnout -- we 100% support (and often hold webinars for) groups like Indivisible, who organize those things VERY well!
The challenge Smart Politics tries to address is how do we vote Trumpist politicians out with big enough margins to overcome voter suppression? How do we gain enough Congressional representation to move progressive legislation forward in the future, once we have power back? How do we mitigate long-term moderate/independent voter apathy or disengagement, and inevitable electoral backlash like in 2016 and 2024?
We're going to need both the disengaged non-voters you rightly mention and one-time Trump voters in the next elections to do those things. But even before that, we want to if not secure support at least lower the hatred and active opposition from some Trump voters when the time comes for us to take to the streets and march for our basic rights and free and fair elections.
We believe talking to Trump supporters now not only helps us in the immediate battles (both electoral and activist) but also the long-term health of our nation and democracy, especially our ability to talk to folks with opposing viewpoints without both sides demonizing the other.
That's why we teach and encourage talking to Trump voters right now, while absolutely supporting all voter mobilization efforts in 2026 and '28.
Good luck!
(I should also add that absolutely part of the Smart Politics conversational work IS with the unengaged types of non-voters you mention -- we encourage talking to them as well as "Trump voters." Every bit helps on every front)
Thank you! I appreciate your comments! Do you feel this sort of Smart Politics work (talking to Trump voters) is doable and effective? Or do you have your doubts?
Either way, I hope you'll hang around here a bit on our Substack, if you'd like to learn more about what we do and how we do it.
Actually, your responses seem canned. Like an AI generated response in a text message.
Ha, that's fair. Just trying to be respectful and professional, lol
Hi Olivia, I absolutely agree!
But how do we get them voted out in 2026 and 2028? And how do we face all the challenges to democracy and our civil rights in the year and a half before the midterms?
These are some of the things Smart Politics tries to address, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on what we should be doing right now!
Thanks so much for commenting!
Locke