In this morning’s selection meeting we discussed six articles, and chose to recommend two: the first because it showcases a compelling leader with a compelling vision of how the Democratic Party can be more effective in future elections, and the second because it doesn’t just document and bemoan the country’s worsening polarization - it offers solutions.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Biden’s Win, House Losses, and What’s Next for the Left
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/07/us/politics/aoc-biden-progressives.html
(our copy here)

Social Media Is Making A Bad Political Situation Worse
https://apple.news/A23B5Ctf6SWaznbf7ikfnGg
(our copy here)

If you don’t read anything else this week, at least read these two, and note in particular this passage near the end of the second article:

The answer to all this polarization [involves] serious, truthful, and mediated discussion between people of opposing viewpoints.
It doesn’t require more social media — at least not in its current iteration.
“It’s not just a matter of coming into contact with the other side,” Pariser told Recode about how his conception of filter bubbles has changed since he first coined the term. “It’s doing so in a way that leads us to greater understanding.”
And the way opposing views are presented on social media is not leading to greater understanding. Conversations on Facebook and Twitter, for example, happen through text, not voice, which can be another impediment to understanding. Pariser pointed to work by Berkeley professor Juliana Schroeder that shows conversations through text fail to garner the empathy evoked through hearing someone’s voice, making it an unproductive medium for constructive conversations.
“It’s sort of like the ‘don’t have an argument by text with your partner’ [rule], but for society,” Pariser said.

That’s a big part of why Short-Read-of-the-Week exists. Will you join us next week?