Roundtable discussion encourages respectful political dialogue, debate

Editor’s note: This roundtable has been canceled and will be rescheduled to a later date.

An upcoming roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Jim Ludes, vice president for public research and initiatives and executive director of the Pell Center, will explore ways to remain patriotic while engaging in respectful dialogue and debate.

For decades, the way we talk about people who have different political views than our own has grown coarser and coarser. Every time we call our political rivals “idiots,” or demean their intelligence or patriotism because they differ with us on policy issues, we raise the level of toxicity in our political culture. That undermines the trust needed to govern, the confidence the public has in their free institutions, and the example we set for the rest of the world.

Ludes will lead the discussion on how we can be patriots by engaging in respectful dialogue and even debate with people with whom we disagree about policy preferences. We can be patriots by respecting the roles and prerogatives of all of our branches of government, and we can be patriots by prioritizing the good of our country over the good of our party or any individual politician.

The roundtable discussion will be held at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27 in the O’Hare Academic Building, Room 242. Sponsored by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy, roundtable discussions are open to Salve Regina students, faculty and staff. The Pell Center provides a free lunch.

As space is limited, those interested in attending should RSVP to (401) 341-2927 or pellcenter@salve.edu.