How To Have A Pleasant Political Discussion?
I was having lunch with friends and colleagues and the conversation went to politics. Uh! Oh! My ahimsa senses started tingling. Friends said a lot of things that made me want to correct them. But I kept silent. Not because I don’t like politics or I don’t appreciate its huge role in my life. But I have come to a realization that most of the political discussions are useless.
Mainly, for two reasons:
- Most of us agree on most of the things:
Quick! Tell me should a train be late by 44 hours? Should a police officer be working under constant influence of MPs and MLAs? Should a school raise their fees higher than rate of salary growth and, at the same time, be able to insult the protestors by saying, “If you can’t afford go to a govt. school?”
You’ll probably answer — No!
It seems we are largely on the same side of the solution on most issues. Then why the bitterness?
2. Facts Don’t Change Opinions:
Have you noticed whenever a news breaks and it shows a party in a bad light. Immediately appears a link debunking it. Then another link appears that debunks the debunking. And, repeat.
So, when you fight with a friend, they give you a link which agrees with them and to counter that you give them a link which agrees with you. Then they give you another link, over time, you stop reading your friend’s links and bury yourself under the mountain of links that you agree with. Your friend will do the same.
Nobody’s opinion has changed. Only now, you hate each other.
3. So What Does One Do?
The trick is not in avoiding political discussions or avoiding voting or changing your party completely. The trick is in discussing issues and their solutions, you’ll quickly see how similar are your views with others. Even if you have a different view, it will be only one of the several views you already agree up on.
For instance, there’s some dispute on whether a rape convict should receive a death sentence. However there’s a large agreement that the justice should be time-bound. Rape victims should have one-stop centers to attend to their needs. And that’s a victory for most of us.
You may say — But that’s still shying away from the fight. Isn’t it?
4. So You Want A Fight?
Alright, then start by asking your chosen party tough questions and holding them accountable. Ask them issue based questions and not stop until you’ve got some concrete answers. You have voted for them, they owe you answers.
Here are a few questions you can ask but feel free to create your own —
- Why do people have to demand CBI inquiry for a fair investigation whenever a politician is involved?
- Why hasn’t police been reformed to minimize the political interference?
- Why is there a staff shortage in RTI offices?
- How come Special Economic Zones are cleaner than rest of the city?
So, at lunch tables whenever anyone brings up a political topic, I just stay silent and take a moment to notice the pleasantness in the room after people have shifted to another topic. I also notice the lack of resentment and judgment among people after early death of the topic. And, wonder what productive thing to do after not arguing for hours together.