Earlier this year, a group of activists in Minneapolis composed and performed a song called "It's OK to Change Your Mind" in front of ICE agents, hoping to persuade them to make a career change. I'm not sure how successful that was, but I am intrigued with making this phrase part of the national political dialogue.

We struggle with how to have civil discourse with people on the other side of the aisle. Facts and figures supporting our viewpoints are good but can make the other person feel defensive. We need to provide a way for them to gracefully back away from the passionate beliefs they might have held about a candidate or policy. Don't make them justify why they went in that direction, but gently remind them that it is always OK to change your mind. No questions asked.

This also applies to incumbents or candidates for elected office. The point of advocacy is to convince a decision-maker to support or oppose an issue. We want them to change their mind if they don't agree with us, but too frequently we then turn around and tag them as a "flip flopper." We can't have it both ways.

"It's OK to change your mind" is a simple phrase, but I think it could be a powerful tool in calming the rhetoric and restoring kindness in our conversations. What do you think?

Diane

Diane McNutt, President

League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara

Diane.McNutt@lwvsjsc.org

Reminder: All League members are invited to attend the monthly Board business meetings, usually held on Zoom on the first Thursday of the month. If you would like to attend, contact me for agenda, time and link information.