by Mass 50501
Today’s political climate is testing more than just our institutions, our faith in our fellow citizens, and our Constitution. It’s testing our bonds to friends and family. The hard work of rebuilding relationships and a shared sense of humanity with those from whom we differ is key to creating the popular consensus we need for a political mandate.
So how do we achieve this? We must make ourselves visible to those who don’t see us, and we must convert those who would support us “if only.” If we’re really successful, maybe we can even convince some of those who actively oppose us to oppose us a bit less actively. Here’s the call to action: Exit your political bubble and go out into your neighborhood, go to your family, go to your friends, and do the scary thing you’ve always been told is rude in polite company: Talk about politics.
Almost certainly, you have someone in your life — a cousin, a neighbor, a co-worker — who just doesn’t see eye to eye with you, and you’d like to be able to have a conversation with that person. Here’s the challenge, though: When reaching out to people to change their views, we need to meet them where they are. That means taking the time to empathize and understand their beliefs and perceptions. After all, we’re all people.
Let’s apply a little bit of theory to help us do this. We can use a tool called the Perception Box, taken from The Path of Most Resistance. Originally developed by political strategist Paul Tully, the Perception Box asks us four questions about ourselves and the people we want our message to reach:
- What do we believe about ourselves?
- What do we believe about them?
- What do they believe about us?
- What do they believe about themselves?
Answering these questions helps us understand what beliefs we have in common with the people we want to convince, what beliefs we have in contention, and what misconceptions we have about each other. The goal of the exercise is to establish common ground, dispel misconceptions, and bring other parties closer to our own position. We may not completely change their position to our own, but we may still be able to change their behavior. Let’s consider some friends who support Trump’s immigration policy and answer the Perception Box questions accordingly.
- “We about us”
- We want to protect our neighbors from being terrorized by ICE.
- These are peaceful families who have been in our community for years.
- Everyone has a right to due process.
- “We about them”
- They hate immigrants because they’re racist.
- They believe the corporate media’s anti-immigrant propaganda.
- They don’t care about due process.
- “They about us”
- They sympathize with violent criminals.
- They start riots, assault law enforcement officers, and disrupt the peace.
- They hate America and carry foreign flags.
- “They about them”
- We want peace and order.
- We don’t want violent criminals staying in the country illegally.
- Immigrants should follow the law and obtain citizenship legally.
We start a conversation by meeting people where they are with our “they about them” answers. Most people are not naturally hateful; people resort to hate when they are afraid, so it’s important to listen and validate their feelings. We may even learn that some of our “we about them” answers are misconceptions.
In the course of conversation, we want to move toward our “we about us” answers and dispel “they about us” misconceptions. In this process, we can ask them to change their behavior. While we may not be able to get them to support the movement, we can try to move them one step away from the regime and one step toward us.
The message we want to convey can take the form of talking points:
- We all want immigrants to follow the law and obtain citizenship legally.
- Trump promised to focus on deporting violent criminals: “the worst of the worst.”
- But ICE is targeting lawful residents who have lived in our communities for years.
- The problem is not deportation but the lack of due process, causing mistakes that traumatize families, including American citizens seeing their parents torn away.
- We should be careful about believing what the White House says about who is being deported and try to understand why communities are responding so emotionally.
We can’t always expect others to innately see our perspective, especially when media such as Fox News have been spreading far-right propaganda for a generation. But if we can get them to see a little bit, that is the seed for bigger change.
In this example, we may not be able to convince our friends that ICE raids must be stopped. But maybe we can convince them to think more carefully about what they see and hear about deportations in regime propaganda. Maybe we can show them that the people being disappeared aren’t violent gang members but people like the small restaurant owner down the street whose children go to school with theirs. Maybe we can plant a seed of doubt about the regime in their head, and sooner or later, that seed may grow into a revolution.
This is what the movement needs: people talking to people. Start thinking about the Perception Box and how it can apply to the people in your life.
This is an adapted version of an article that originally appeared on the Mass 50501 blog; click here to read the full article.
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Mass 50501 is a nonviolent, nonpartisan nonprofit that focuses on community organizing to defend everyone’s rights and liberties and to resist tyrannical and unconstitutional actions. Our in-person efforts include marches, rallies, protests, and community building events. Virtually, we reinforce and support our allies by spreading truth and information through free communication channels and by coordinating with existing groups who are dedicated to advocacy and aid. Please visit https://www.mass50501.org/join-us to sign up for our newsletter and join our Discord.
