16. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes and how to talk with people who disagree
If you've read earlier posts you will have seen there was a way to guarantee getting to see Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) speaking at SXSW. If not, check out the tip here.
Arguably the most popular talk at SXSW, AOC spoke to a packed room, with SXSW volunteers asking you, before it started, to raise your hand if you had an empty seat next to you.
If, like me, you had never seen her speak before, or actually followed a lot of her story, then you may have been intrigued by the seeming lightning rod capacity she seems to have in American politics. A key insight into local feeling at SXSW is Uber drivers. If you are staying any distance away from downtown, then you use at least once a day, maybe twice if you're uneasy with scooters (more about the scooters later). If you're comfortable with it, chatting with Uber drivers is fascinating. I had one who was incredibly enthused by her, and foresaw some kind of battle for America between AOC and Ivanka Trump. Another had never heard of her. Make of that what you will.
AOC is a divisive figure, but even if you disagreed with her, you would have seen that she was passionate and informed about her topics. You'll get more of those in later posts, here the most general comment. She was asked how - in an increasingly polarised political climate - we can debate with people who disagree with us.
Her answer was fascinating, and the principles were repeated in later talks I saw about trust and empathy.
'If you disagree with people, talk to them with compassion. You'll never change someone's mind while you're talking to them. Ask questions, and try to understand. Understanding is so valuable.'
Arguably the most popular talk at SXSW, AOC spoke to a packed room, with SXSW volunteers asking you, before it started, to raise your hand if you had an empty seat next to you.
If, like me, you had never seen her speak before, or actually followed a lot of her story, then you may have been intrigued by the seeming lightning rod capacity she seems to have in American politics. A key insight into local feeling at SXSW is Uber drivers. If you are staying any distance away from downtown, then you use at least once a day, maybe twice if you're uneasy with scooters (more about the scooters later). If you're comfortable with it, chatting with Uber drivers is fascinating. I had one who was incredibly enthused by her, and foresaw some kind of battle for America between AOC and Ivanka Trump. Another had never heard of her. Make of that what you will.
AOC is a divisive figure, but even if you disagreed with her, you would have seen that she was passionate and informed about her topics. You'll get more of those in later posts, here the most general comment. She was asked how - in an increasingly polarised political climate - we can debate with people who disagree with us.
Her answer was fascinating, and the principles were repeated in later talks I saw about trust and empathy.
'If you disagree with people, talk to them with compassion. You'll never change someone's mind while you're talking to them. Ask questions, and try to understand. Understanding is so valuable.'
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