Whether left or right, practising the politics of cancellation is always a mistake. Inclusion is always the antidote and the best method of problem-solving.
- Professor, Department of Communication Arts, University of Waterloo
Want to win an election? Talk about values more than policy, tell a compelling story, paint a bright future and find ways to repeat, repeat, repeat.
Instead of giving Trump’s fascist rhetoric a wider audience, news organizations must simply point out he’s attempting to dehumanize his fellow citizens, create a path to violence and destroy democracy.
Donald Trump’s legal woes will nourish and strengthen his rhetorical style, and his followers will continue to be persuaded by how he makes them feel, not by reason, facts or critical thought.
To address declining humanities enrolments, these programs should ensure they offer more than critical theory for identifying and analyzing problems.
It’s easy to consider the erosion of democratic norms in the U.S. as purely political, but it poses serious risks to the country’s economic order. Is democracy in the gallows?
Ontario goes to the polls in a month, and Doug Ford will likely win again. Why? Because the Liberal and NDP leaders have failed to connect with the people of Ontario the way Ford has.
If we learn how to disengage from communication circuits that lay the groundwork for fear and aggression, we have a better chance of managing conflict constructively.
With the apparent slide towards authoritarianism in the U.S., Canada must be ready and able to defend and champion our democracy.
We ought to worry that the pandemic has made it even easier to reduce teaching to disseminating knowledge.
As the raid on the U.S. Capitol has shown, some kinds of rhetoric can set fire to the world — and it exists in Canada, too. Here’s how to tamp it down and focus on positive forms of rhetoric.
Because dramatic tension fuels attention, Trump’s words work to generate tension, anxiety and conflict. We need to react with civility, care and calm to undo the cycle of attention and persuasion.
Politicians and law enforcement engage in uncivil behaviour that undermines democratic society. Civility is a pre-requisite for empathy, and is essential for difficult conversations.
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