Ah ha, learning that your target audience is people who disagree with you, clears things up quite a bit. It felt like you were talking over my head, or past me, is because you were. I had no idea what you were trying to do. Judging by your readership, your strategy is working (you are reaching a whole lot of people). If you are changing minds, I think that’s a really good thing.

That said, your strategy does not work for me. Just as your readership demonstrates your ability to influence people with words, my ability to influence people with actions, is demonstrated by the support I’ve received from people who disagreed with me. The only liberals who get elected in small towns and rural communities are those who truly understand and care about the people that elect them (and I am one of them, 12 years in one position and 4 years in another).

I live in a deeply conservative place, and my ability to influence people who disagree with me depends on understanding and caring about them, their homes, families, jobs and businesses and our community. Where I live, actions and behaviour are the only way to show you care. If I engaged in the kind of conversations with conservatives that you do, I’d be run out of town.

I succeed by maintaining my focus on changing the systems that breed racism, segregation, and inequities in incomes, healthcare, education and opportunity. Whenever personalities, beliefs, prejudices or bigotry pop up, I direct things back to systems (What legal changes are people proposing? What exactly do people want to change?). Once people start talking about making changes in systems, everything becomes possible.

It took 12 years, but the state finally agreed and we replaced zoning with form-based-codes in our general plan (and then gave us an award for it). Once we changed our local land-use system, affordable housing projects sailed through the planning process with barely a whimper against them. I could cite other examples, but I think you get the picture.

I’ve never changed anyone’s beliefs, but I have changed a whole lot of people’s views on systems and the need for deep systemic change.

I appreciate the clarification and apologize for any offense.