Somewhere along the way within the evolution of our modern digital social platforms, we, as humans, split into two very distinct versions of ourselves: the analog (in-person) version and our online persona.
The latter online version of ourselves is often the harshest as we take to social media tossing civility out the window to engage in quasi-dialogue that quite often shuts it down.
This Wednesday, March 11, the Padnos/Sarosik Civil Discourse Program, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, Educational Foundations (COE), and Common Ground (Hauenstein Center) welcome the public to a free public screening of “
Bring it to the Table” - a documentary that encourages people to stop bickering about politics, examine their own assumptions, and start again to truly engage in civil discourse in attempt to help move our democracy forward.
This short documentary will begin with a reception where you will mingle and converse with attendees, who, like you, are drawn to the civility topic (so you already have that in common.)
After the reception at 6 p.m. “Bring it to the Table” will begin and be followed by table talks after. This exercise gives folks attending an opportunity to put into practice what they have witnessed in the documentary.
Who knows, despite your differences, you may find within another distinct and intriguing aspects of another’s life that begins a fresh friendship rooted in real-time dialogue in-person versus shouting back and forth in a thread as folks do too often on social media.
If you were to ask me, I would choose in-person over social media every time if offered the chance. It is also fitting that they are hosting “Bring it to the Table” the day after the Michigan Presidential Primary.
This event is free and open to the public but reservations are strongly recommended as seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.