Want to know how to win a culture war? Don’t fight one. The soul of our nation has been marred from a perpetual state of culture war. In an Orwellian twist, each camp relies on conflict with their supposed enemies for the perpetuation of their own existence. The culture warrior’s clout, influence, fundraising, and organizing is based upon real or perceived attacks from the other side. These “threats” and boogeymen are their oxygen, and without them, they die.
The biggest fear of those leading the culture wars is not an attack from the other side or the threat of losing ground on their issues — it is common ground. Culture wars require a clash of incompatible ideologies; common ground acknowledges differences but finds practical shared goals. Practical shared goals mean people and parties with different ideologies can both “win.” When culture wars are fought, the only people who win are those who build their careers off them.
The rest is here. How to Win a Culture War - Jim Wallis - God’s Politics Blog.Wallis' article is focused on the abortion issue, and needs to be heard so that all can move forward on that issue, as well as achieve good health care for all in the US. But its true of just about every conflict I can think of that has been mentioned here.
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