Reaching other people with your progressive beliefs

When talking to acquaintances, friends and relatives about such topics as social justice, race relations, LGBT+ issues and environmentalism, it’s very common for tensions to spike and for one side to shut down. Here, I want to share some advice.

While it’s both understandable and good to be passionate about these things, the number one thing to remember when approaching these ideas is to tone back the zeal. It often feels like there is an incredible amount of urgency to combat any amount of bigotry or anti-scientific sentiment based on the fact that people are dying every day from those ideas, however people who grow defensive will fail, more often than not, to hear your ideas, even if you communicate them with the utmost urgency.

The second largest thing to remember is that you’re talking with a person, not arguing against an idea. Remember to listen carefully to them, and try to meet them where they are. This can be difficult, especially as your understanding of social issues grows more developed. It’s easy to fall into the trap of speaking on a higher level of understanding than the person you’re trying to reach, be mindful that you’re not speaking past them.

The third is to remember to care for yourself! There may be situations, topics or people you just won’t be able to have a good productive conversation with or about. This is okay. Sometimes it is best to recognize that one’s energy is better spent on more productive venues, or simply on insulating oneself from people you can’t have a healthy conversation with for whatever reason. In these situations it’s very good to have a support system of like minded people to vent and talk with. Remember that empathy and care are some of the greatest strengths of our position, so leave room for yourself to have some of that as well!

Gavin L.