Original Air Date 9-11-2018 Strategies to, and reasons why we need to, have better political conversations. As the first GOP debate signals the beginning of a new election cycle with the country divided as ever, we could always use a refresher on better ways to communicate. Be part of the show! Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Robb Willer: How to have better political conversations - @TEDTalks - Air Date 2-9-17 Robb Willer studies the forces that unite and divide us. As a social psychologist, he researches how moral values -- typically a source of division -- can also be used to bring people together. Ch. 2: Understanding the backfire effect Part 1 - You are not so smart - Air Date 2-10-17 Stephan Lewandowsky takes us step-by-step through The Debunking Handbook, a guide he and John Cook wrote for avoiding the backfire effect when confronting vaccine and climate change deniers. Ch. 3: THE MIDTERMS MINUTE: California’s Battleground Races! - Best of the Left Activism Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment. Ch. 4: Van Jones: Exposing Liberal Hypocrisy and Conservative Close-Mindedness - Big Think - Air Date 11-23-17 The amount of political disagreement in the nation is matched only by righteous indignation. But in order to disagree without disrespecting each other, we need to look hard at our own positions, and Van Jones does just that. Ch. 5: Understanding the backfire effect Part 2: Replacing the leg of a table - You are not so smart - Air Date 2-10-17 Explaining the key takeaway regarding the backfire effect. Always replace a faulty idea with a valid one. Never debunk a claim only to leave a void. Ch. 6: In This Life - How to argue with those we oppose - Progressive Faith Sermons w @RevDrRay - Air Date 7-15-18 Explaining why saying the things you may want to say to your political adversaries is more likely to exacerbate the problems in our political divide further, making you part of the problem.   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Thanks for listening! Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Alexa Devices | +more Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher! ​ ​