Good News Roundup

Americans aren’t as divided as we think, there is hope for civic unity, and voices of reason may yet prevail.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it: Americans aren’t as divided as the most polarizing voices would have us believe.

Bridging the gap may be as easy as improving the language we use to communicate the fraught and nuanced political issues over which Americans are divided.

“PACE survey shows the path to civic unity,” presented Hans Zieger for The Fulcrum last week.

“One of the particularly pernicious aspects of how we use political language is the tendency of political players to talk past one another,” began Zieger. “Words like ‘patriotism,’ ‘democracy,’ and ‘equity’ are freighted with controversy — sometimes with good reason, but most of the time as a way to bolster one’s own political position. Words like these become massive stumbling blocks for real conversation about real issues.”

“Fortunately, a network of civic-minded donors and charitable organizations called Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement just released new numbers from its ongoing Civic Language Perceptions Project — a survey aimed at discovering how civic language unites, divides and motivates American voters,” wrote Zieger. “The survey includes a diverse cross-section of Americans across the political spectrum.