I'm not arguing for unity at all costs. I'm arguing that if we default to partisan lines, we shut down the very deliberation that democracy depends on. We need principled boundaries and open invitations to engage with shared ideals—especially when democracy is under threat. - ThreadSky

eliothiggins.bsky.social • 36 days ago

I'm not arguing for unity at all costs. I'm arguing that if we default to partisan lines, we shut down the very deliberation that democracy depends on. We need principled boundaries and open invitations to engage with shared ideals—especially when democracy is under threat.

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mitch-henke.bsky.social•36 days ago

I feel like the ability to peacefully disagree is being lost. In a world of algorithms and AI, it's so easy for people to see only what they want to see, and what encourages then to continue to engage. Now when people have disagreements, rather than trying to find common ground things just shut down

eliothiggins.bsky.social•36 days ago

Completely agree. The digital environment rewards outrage, not understanding. It nudges us toward performance over conversation, and disagreement becomes identity warfare, not democratic engagement.

eliothiggins.bsky.social•36 days ago

It’s not just that we disagree, it's that we’re trained to disagree performatively. Algorithms push us into echo chambers, and disagreement becomes a signal of loyalty, not a search for truth.

bearmarshal.bsky.social•36 days ago

Performative disagreement is a good term. I've been lacking the words to talk about the knee-jerk reaction to denounce any conversation whatsoever with anyone captured by disordered discourse.

eliothiggins.bsky.social•36 days ago

Finding common ground isn’t weakness, it’s democratic strength. But we’ve built systems where compromise looks like betrayal and where visibility depends on outrage. That’s the crisis.

eliothiggins.bsky.social•36 days ago

What we’re losing isn’t just civility, it’s the infrastructure for shared sense-making. Without that, disagreement becomes existential. That’s when democracy starts to collapse.

antonpnym.bsky.social•36 days ago

I am increasingly convinced that America first lost that battle when it surrendered to the Brooks Brothers rioters and keep losing it to a party that respects no inconvenient norms and denies inconvenient concrete facts.

And now we see civility weaponized against civilization.

eliothiggins.bsky.social•36 days ago

Exclusion is sometimes necessary-but we shouldn’t confuse gatekeeping truth with shutting down discourse. Democratic health depends on clear norms and broad participation. The balance matters.

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