By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

County residents from all political persuasions came together Thursday evening, Oct. 3, in Fergus Falls to learn and practice effective listening and speaking skills while talking to others with different points of view. 

The title of this workshop was “Depolarizing ourselves” for residents of Otter Tail County.

“There will always be differences, but we believe the best way forward is to change how we deal with those differences,” said Jeff Thiemann, steering team member for Minnesota Braver Angels who moderated the hour and a half gathering at Fergus Brewing in Fergus Falls.

He offered strategies “to connect my inner polarizer.” They included ways to offset polarizing thoughts and feelings. “Edit the story you tell yourself about people on the other political side. You can believe a viewpoint is wrong without believing a person who holds that view is stupid or ill-motivated.”

Braver Angels brings together conservatives, liberals and independents to restore trust, respect and good will among one another. Coordinating the event was Fergus Falls-based West Central Initiative (WCI) along with Minnesota Public Radio.

“The goal,” said WCI president and CEO Anna Wasescha, “is to treat each other with respect as people with different political persuasions come together to hear different points of view.”

Moderator Thielman said that treating each other better is the answer to what’s broken in America. “People can differ sharply on policies but still have similar goals for our country and its people.”

He offered ways to counter stereotypes in one’s own thinking, discussed further in small discussions groups during the Oct. 3 gathering in Fergus Falls.

• Tell yourself that the other side is more varied than the stereotype.

• Acknowledge that their political views and motivations are no doubt more complicated than the rhetoric you’ve been hearing.

• Read and listen to thought leaders on the other side who present complex arguments.

• Recognize that the life experiences forming their viewpoints may be different from your own.

• Develop relationships with a variety of people who differ from you politically. Relationships tend to undermine stereotypes.

• If you want to go all out, you can work to develop an understanding of the history and current strands of thought on the other side.