{"id":45842,"date":"2025-02-19T20:58:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:58:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45842"},"modified":"2025-03-11T13:11:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T13:11:29","slug":"why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides"},"content":{"rendered":"

We wanted to share a couple of emails from the Builders<\/a> community that highlight the very different ways Americans can see our divides.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people on both \u201csides\u201d see our toxicity problem as mainly coming from their political opponents. From that vantage point, messages asking them or their political group to think about how they might reduce toxicity can seem misguided. This can make them think, \u201cWhy is it on <\/span>us<\/span><\/i> to reduce toxicity? You should focus on our opponents.\u201d This is one of the ways that depolarization-aimed work <\/span>can be frustrating<\/span><\/a> to people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The two emails we\u2019ll share below highlight the ease with which we can see our divides in different ways. We think it\u2019s important for everyone to <\/span>listen to their fellow citizens<\/span><\/a>. This helps us make sense of our opponents\u2019 behavior and can help us see them with more empathy, even as we very much disagree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An email from a Builder who opposes Trump\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

In response to <\/span>our piece on how liberals can build more bridges with conservatives<\/span><\/a>, Tracy sent us this email:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I love your movement and your mission. I really, really do. But I am so sick of seeing articles and advice about how liberals need to engage the right way with conservatives. In my view, conservatives do not try to actively engage with liberals at all. It\u2019s always \u201cus\u201d trying to understand them and not the other way around.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Shouldn\u2019t it be both sides doing this?? I never see conservative\/neutral sources asking its members to do the same with liberals. Why does it always have to be the Democrats. So far it hasn\u2019t gotten us anywhere it seems. How many times can you try before throwing in the towel?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

I am a longtime bridge-builder and author, and I resonate with your passion to work across our divides!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

An email from a Pro-Trump Builder<\/b><\/h3>\n

In response to <\/span>our piece encouraging Republicans to listen to their opponents\u2019 criticisms<\/span><\/a>, even if just for their own sake, Elizabeth sent us this email:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a good article; I’m betting it was written by a member of the Democratic party?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

My reasoning is that, now that “they” lost, suddenly they are reconsidering and reflecting and the Republicans must do the same instead of celebrating our win.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Why not four years ago recognizing the reconsidering and reflecting that Republicans did, and call for Democrats to do the same?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We have spent four years being canceled by the Democratic party, yet somehow it is incumbent upon us to rise and allow them their space to mourn?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Having said that, I do actually recognize the cycle we are in and that someone has to rise and break out of it.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

No, I don’t see either party doing that admirable work, so that leaves us \u2014 the people \u2014 to do it.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

And that is what I reflect on most after this election \u2014 that the clear majority of citizens have enough common sense to say ‘this is not sustainable; we must do better’.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I just wish your articles would recognize that as well.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The goal is understanding<\/b><\/h3>\n

Again, our goal here is to emphasize how easy it is for us to see our divides differently. This is not to say that \u201cThese views are equally valid,\u201d which is a common common objection we hear. It\u2019s not our role to say whose views are more valid; it <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> our role to help people <\/span>better understand their fellow citizens<\/span><\/a> \u2014 their grievances, their concerns \u2014 even as they very much disagree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you, Elizabeth and Tracy, for sending us your thoughts. Messages like yours help us better understand what people are feeling and thinking. We also appreciate you including your appreciation of this work, along with your criticisms and frustrations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Join the Builders Movement!\u00a0<\/i>buildersmovement.org\/invite<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We wanted to share a couple of emails from the Builders community that highlight the very different ways Americans can see our divides.\u00a0 Some people on both \u201csides\u201d see our toxicity problem as mainly coming from their political opponents. From that vantage point, messages asking them or their political group to think about how they…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":45847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"collection_feed":[],"type_feed":[77],"class_list":["post-45842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We wanted to share a couple of emails from the Builders community that highlight the very different ways Americans can see our divides.\u00a0 Some people on both \u201csides\u201d see our toxicity problem as mainly coming from their political opponents. From that vantage point, messages asking them or their political group to think about how they…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Builders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"747\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zach Elwood\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fa86211edc631829f62424ccba457d0a\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\"},\"wordCount\":652,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fa86211edc631829f62424ccba457d0a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":747},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/\",\"name\":\"Builders\",\"description\":\"Rise Above Us vs Them. Be a Builder\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders","og_description":"We wanted to share a couple of emails from the Builders community that highlight the very different ways Americans can see our divides.\u00a0 Some people on both \u201csides\u201d see our toxicity problem as mainly coming from their political opponents. From that vantage point, messages asking them or their political group to think about how they…","og_url":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/","og_site_name":"Builders","article_published_time":"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":747,"url":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/"},"author":{"name":"Zach Elwood","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fa86211edc631829f62424ccba457d0a"},"headline":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides","datePublished":"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/"},"wordCount":652,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/","url":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/","name":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides - Builders","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-19T20:58:19+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-11T13:11:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#\/schema\/person\/fa86211edc631829f62424ccba457d0a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HeroImage_Feed-8-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":747},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/02\/19\/why-do-we-have-to-take-the-high-road\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cWhy Is It on Us to Take the High Road?\u201d: Opposed Views on Our Divides"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/","name":"Builders","description":"Rise Above Us vs Them. Be a Builder","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45842"},{"taxonomy":"collection_feed","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection_feed?post=45842"},{"taxonomy":"type_feed","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_feed?post=45842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}