The workshop presented by Sociologist Laura van Berkel entitled Communicating with Conservatives lasted only forty five minutes, but the room full of listeners could easily have discussed this crucial issue for the rest of the afternoon. Her basic premise is that how we frame an issue is a statistically significant predictor of how our proposal will be received. It sounds so simple, but it is not always easy to put into practice, as we are often only used to talking to people who share our beliefs, and prioritize their values in the same way as we do. We speak in a sort of code and may rarely interact with persons who are suspicious of scientific data and mistrustful of government overreach.

Laura did an excellent job of compressing the basic facts and results of sociological studies into a compact format that made it abundantly (and graphically) clear that the way liberals present their arguments predicts the amount of acceptance they will receive. Here is an attempt to summarize her presentation:

· First some important Liberal values that underlie our attitudes were defined: Caring for the Welfare of others; Fairness and Reciprocity; Openness to Future Change; and Understanding and Tolerance. Conservative values present an obvious contrast: Patriotism and Respect for Authority; Loyalty, Purity and Respect for Tradition; Adherence to social expectations and norms; Security and Stability.

· Using the example of environmental issues she then contrasted approaches. Discussions on this subject are typically framed in ideological and moral terms that appeal to liberals, and evoke visions of what we can expect in the future. Studies were cited that prove that when the same issue is discussed in terms such as: “Follow the example of your religious leaders”; “Show your patriotism and love of country”; or “Make our founding fathers proud”, conservatives were some 20-30% more likely to approve of these environmental initiatives.

· We practiced among ourselves using other loaded issues such as abortion or gun control and agreed with Laura´s conclusion that: “Messages are more effective when they allow people to maintain personal values and outlook.” Conservatives are more likely to deny the existence of a problem that confounds their own identity and beliefs. Interestingly enough, the variation among liberals was nearly statistically insignificant between the two ways of framing arguments. I will leave the interpretation of this result to you.

This session reminded us, that in order to get an important message across, it is worth the effort to put ourselves into conservatives´ shoes, to try to understand the beliefs that shape their world view, and to use vocabulary and images that will make them at least listen, and possibly eventually convince them. It behooves our party to follow this advice too.

For further information, here are links to three recent newspaper articles pertinent to this discussion:

A German journalist follows the lives of one American liberal and one conservative for a year, before they meet in person, with a surprise ending: 
www.zeit.de/2017/51/ein-jahr-donald-trump-waehler-stadt-provinz-erfahrung. A long read, but worth it.

Editorial by David Brooks on an organization that brings conservatives and liberals together to talk.
www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/opinion/parkland-gun-control-shootings.html

Article on how conservatives interpret efforts to preserve National Parks in Oregon: 
www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/magazine/fear-of-the-federal-government-in-the-ranchlands-of-oregon.html

Book club members recommend Hillbilly Elegy and Deer Hunting with Jesus, both reviewed on this website:  www.democratsabroad.org/de-hamburg_news?page=2 . Those interested in environmental issues will appreciate Strangers in their Own Land, Arlie Hochschild´s attempt to understand the paradox that those who suffered the most from environmental pollution nevertheless continued to vote against their own interests for Republicans.

Even if you have not read this book you are invited to the next Book club discussion of it with coffee and cake around a cozy fireplace on:

SATURDAY, 10 MARCH AT 14:00
MATHILDE LITERATUR AND CAFÉ
BOGENSTRASSE 5, HAMBURG

Text by Maryann Schmunk
Photo by Chesney McKinley Severance