Review and Response to “How Contempt Destroys Democracy” by Zachary Elwood

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Zachary Elwood, the author of “How Contempt Destroys Democracy” for my show “Impolite Company.” We talked about a range issues around identity, politics, Trump, and disagreeing over politics. You can watch the episode here:

https://youtu.be/N5538hlqJto?si=X30nYHESoN_BsB62

In this post, I want to offer my review and reflection on Elwood’s book. First off, I’d like to say this is well worth the read. And it might be a bit difficult for some folks as well. Elwood has a specific audience in mind — liberals. The basic focus of the book is to talk with a liberal audience about how contempt for “the other side” contributes to the problems that people complain about. Liberals have a responsibility to engage in conversation that focuses on important issues, and to do it in a way that doesn’t dehumanize those they disagree with. That applies to everyone of course.

This focus becomes evident right away when Elwood states: “Regardless of which group in a conflict is more right or wrong, it’s important to first recognize that this is almost always the core objection that gets in the way of people willing to engage in conflict resolution: the belief that the problem is the ‘other side’ and that therefore working on resolving the conflict isn’t ‘our problem.’” (pg. 29). This very notion has been a growing challenge in our political system.