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One answer to the current problems of American politics is dignity. At least, that is the thinking behind the Dignity Index project leader Tami Pyfer. Pyfer, a former special ed teacher and high-level Republican appointee in Utah's political scene, is working with Unite, a national nonprofit organization focused on healing America's divides, on building and implementing the Dignity Index, which tracks political speech and grades it on a scale from 1-8, with one being the lowest score.
Politico's Amanda Ripley recently wrote a piece that is part profile of Pyfer and part introduction of the Dignity Index. But, in Ripley's telling, the two are linked. The Dignity Index is meant to encourage everyone, from politicians to those who engage in the political process, to check their speech and consider whether it dignifies or degrades those they see as political opponents. And while the Index is just getting started, Ripley reports that there has already been progress from those who use it or have been introduced to it.
Pyfer notes that a lot of the work she does is similar to her work as a special education teacher, which revolved around helping identify undesirable behavior and then finding ways to correct it. Pyfer, as Ripley shows, is precisely the kind of person equipped to help America think about we engage with one another. But beyond Pyfer's unique ability to help encourage better political engagement, Ripley discusses how Dignity Index coders, those tasked with tracking political speech on the Index, have internalized the Index and find themselves changing the media they consume, as well as how they speak to people.
It's early, but the Dignity Index could be a powerful tool in helping stem the tide of speech that encourages us to demonize one another for perceived differences. It's evident to anyone currently engaged in American politics that how we talk about each other is broken. And while the Dignity Index does not stop people from being hateful toward one another, it does make us aware of how our words can impact others.
Ripley reports on this, too. She tells a powerful story of how Pyfer spoke to a group of Republican women who had just finished being riled up about a far-left agenda. Pyfer took to the stage aware that she was likely the last person the group wanted to hear from, but, leaning into her teaching background and her convictions, Pyfer prepared the group for a message they may not like and explained why dignity is essential. She did not win over everyone that day, but Pyfer made inroads with people who needed to hear her message.
It is not likely that everyone in America will suddenly develop an incurable case of recognizing the dignity of their political opponents. But if enough Americans can be convinced of the importance of seeing each other as humans, there is hope for our future. And that is what we need more of.
Three More Things
1) The New York Times has a story this week on the formation of the unlikely alliance between Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kevin McCarthy. MTG, as McCarthy brags she is called, was one of McCarthy's most vocal surrogates in his bid for Speaker of the House. And while much attention has been paid to McCarthy's play to get MTG's Twitter reinstated, more striking is the extent to which McCarthy is listening to MTG's advice on dropping vaccine mandates and the supposed victimization of Jan 6 insurrectionists.
2) Speaking of insurrectionists, Axios reports that Richard Barnett, who took a break from raiding the Capitol to rest his feet on Pelosi's desk, has been found guilty. He is charged with, among others, "theft of government property, civil disorder, and obstructing an official proceeding — Congress' meeting to certify the Electoral College count for the 2020 presidential election."
3) The Washington Post reports that attacks on U.S. Jews and gays are accelerating as threats against those groups, and others, are growing on Twitter. As Politico's story on the Dignity Index noted, speech is not violence, but WaPo's reporting shows that the two can be linked. And while Twitter may not be the most used social media, it still has an impact on bad actors who could be convinced to commit violence.
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