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Angry Uncle Bot
From https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/18/opinion/thanksgiving-family-argue-chat-bot.html
(Interactive feature at link)
How to Have a Conversation With Your Angry Uncle Over Thanksgiving
By Karin Tamerius
Dr. Tamerius is a former psychiatrist and the founder of Smart Politics.
Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday because it’s a time to gather with relatives from afar. It’s a dreaded holiday for the same reason.
Many of us aren’t accustomed to socializing with people who think differently from us, especially about politics. Our political attitudes and beliefs are intertwined with our most basic human needs – needs for safety, belonging, identity, self-esteem and purpose – and when they’re threatened, we’re biologically wired to respond as if we’re in physical peril.
So how can you talk with people who disagree with you without setting off this fight-or-flight response? Drawing on extensive online dialogues with conservatives and my own background in psychiatry and political psychology, I developed a five-step method to help people have difficult conversations.
Across the country, members of my nonprofit group, Smart Politics, are using this process to heal relationships damaged in the wake of the 2016 election. Many report being able to discuss politics with family members for the first time in years.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for you to give it a try. Before the big day, practice discussing a couple of difficult topics with Angry Uncle Bot, a chat program created to help teach you the techniques.
...
By Karin Tamerius
Dr. Tamerius is a former psychiatrist and the founder of Smart Politics.
Thanksgiving is a beloved holiday because it’s a time to gather with relatives from afar. It’s a dreaded holiday for the same reason.
Many of us aren’t accustomed to socializing with people who think differently from us, especially about politics. Our political attitudes and beliefs are intertwined with our most basic human needs – needs for safety, belonging, identity, self-esteem and purpose – and when they’re threatened, we’re biologically wired to respond as if we’re in physical peril.
So how can you talk with people who disagree with you without setting off this fight-or-flight response? Drawing on extensive online dialogues with conservatives and my own background in psychiatry and political psychology, I developed a five-step method to help people have difficult conversations.
Across the country, members of my nonprofit group, Smart Politics, are using this process to heal relationships damaged in the wake of the 2016 election. Many report being able to discuss politics with family members for the first time in years.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for you to give it a try. Before the big day, practice discussing a couple of difficult topics with Angry Uncle Bot, a chat program created to help teach you the techniques.
...
More at link.
1 replies
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