Cultural Resources
Respect
Articles/Op-ds/Essays
Tim Walz on Respect. Excerpt from "Is Tim Walz the Midwestern Dad Democrats Need?" on The Ezra Klein Show.
That was the interview heard around the Democratic Party. I remember it hit me on social media. I saw that and thought, “Oh, that really connects.” And then all of a sudden, it was all you heard from Democrats. “Weird, weird, weird. These guys are weird.”
Why did this connect this way? And is there a risk of this falling into something that can bedevil Democrats, coming off as an insult to Trump’s supporters, like Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” comment in 2016?
Undermine Trump with Love, Wade Lee Hudson
The word civil has many meanings. Trump critics who recommend civility don’t counsel patience, deny righteous anger, or oppose all disruption. To say they do is to attack a straw man.
But they do reject demonizing. One synonym for civility is respect. That’s what they mean. They recommend respecting opponents’ essential humanity. (read more)
Face-to-face Democracy, Wade Lee Hudson
A fully democratic society relies on empowerment — self-empowerment and collective empowerment — and respect — self-respect, respect for others, respect for everyone’s essential equal value, respect for individual rights and liberty, and respect for everyone’s right to make ends meet and fully participate in society without being subjected to discrimination or oppression based on race, class, gender, or some other arbitrary characteristic. (read more)
Why Systems Thinking, Wade Lee Hudson
A systemic worldview exposes root causes, clarifies how issues are interconnected, avoids divisive scapegoating, and affirms that the primary problem is the self-perpetuating system, not particular individuals. While acknowledging individual responsibility for reinforcing the system, systems thinking cultivates humility, respect, and mutual understanding. (read more)
Democratic Equality and Democratic Dialog, Wade Lee Hudson
Democratic equality involves respect — respect for everyone’s equal value as a human being, respect for equality under the law, respect for minority opinions, respect for everyone’s right to have a voice in affairs that affect them, respect for freedom. Private institutions such as businesses provide some of these means; the government provides others. How to mix private and public means is the focus of constant debate and modification. But if society respects its members, it must assure they have what they need to be free. (read more)
Ben Sasse: Strengths and Weaknesses, Wade Lee Hudson
In Them: Why We Hate Each Other—And How We Can Heal, Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) affirms important values. Unfortunately, his politics contradict his values. (read more)
Reflections on Elizabeth Anderson, Wade Lee Hudson
The article that had the biggest impact on me last year was “The Philosopher Redefining Equality” in The New Yorker. The subtitle reads: “Elizabeth Anderson thinks we’ve misunderstood the basis of a free and fair society.” (read more)