Why do we struggle to discuss our unique differences in ways that benefit all? Pause for a moment and consider an opinionated or narrow-minded idea you’ve heard spoken. Listen to one person tell another why one view is far more qualified to ensure one-sided versions of a topic that dismisses any view on the other side. Notice put-downs or attacks that fall like pellets in a hail storm?
In one-sided views, we often hear diminishing words such as bogus or ridiculous to describe different views. Not surprisingly for that reason, opinionated comments online, rarely attach names or ID beside terrible tone tactics.
While it’s true that opinionated people may be highly specialized in their fields, it’s also true that it takes brainpowered skills to engage other people’s views in ways that teach from the other side. My own love for research leaves me understanding a thing more clearly when I look at it’s opposite hues and shapes through other people’s eyes. Have you noticed that too?
To diminish opposing views is to cause flame wars. Without diverse ideas, we tend to truncate discussions that could lead to amazing understanding from deeper and wider angles across different minds.
Research helps us to discover and support with specific examples… rather than defend our views and attack others. Great team players tend to avoid polemics in favor of reflecting on interesting opposites, in ways that generate a new whole with facts from both sides. How so?
Here are topics with interesting, supportable opposing viewpoints
| TOPIC | One view | Opposing view |
| 1. Education | Back to basics | Brain based |
| 2. Sports | Paid fairly | Paid unfairly |
| 3. Politics | Builds community | Erodes groups |
| 4. Media | Represents most | Represents few |
| 5. Depression | Treat with drugs | Without drugs |
| 6. Immigrants | Great asset | Not an asset |
| 7. College | Necessary | Overrated |
| 8. Salaries | Fair for most | Unfair for most |
| 9. Family | Helps most kids | Hinders many |
| 10. Healthcare | Fair to most | Unfair to most |
| 11. Weightloss | More diets | Less diets |
| 12. Nature | Over-stressed | Under-stressed |
| 13. Animals | Spay | Don’t spay |
| 14. Equity | Growing in US | Shrunk in US |
| 15. Outsource | Good idea | Bad idea |
| 16. Arts | More emphasis | Less emphasis |
| 17. Creativity | Can teach | Cannot teach |
| 18. Tone | Can help all | Cannot help all |
| 19. Birthrates | Too high | Too low |
| 20. Intelligence | IQ is fixed | IQ is not fixed |
| 21. Friendships | Easy to keep | Hard to keep |
| 22. Divorce | Is a good idea | Not a good idea |
| 23. Stress | Good at times | Always harmful |
| 24. Music | Should copy free | No free copies |
| 25. Gender | Fair treatment | Unfair |
| 26. Age | Young preferred | Aged preferred |
| 27. Power | From hard work | From privilege |
In order to extend insights, from diverse ideas we at the Mita International Brain Center question to hear more of what they understand about their view? We affirm concepts we share in common. We suggest various angles a wider community appreciates. We build innovative projects together – that borrow from ideas on opposite sides of the issue. We take the tone survey to increase intrapersonal intelligence.
To engage opposing views is to free people to add their names beside their unique ideas in online discussion boards. Commenters from opposite sides leave us learning from unexpected melodies on interesting topics. Worth another look at tone tactics that replace flame wars with peace plans to move genius ideas forward together?
Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset
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