Dining for Democracy

• According to the International Churchill Society, the late British leader and war hero Winston Churchill once described democracy as the "worst form of Government - except for all those other forms that have been tried..."
• Throughout human history, more people have lived under monarchs or dictators than in democracies. Maybe that's because democracy requires that we get along with other people -- which can be hard!  Another great thinker, Jean-Paul Sartre, wrote a character who says: "hell is other people." Yikes! Perhaps his message can inspire us to be more graceful towards ourselves and others, in our best and worst moments - which is what democracy demands of us all. 
• In a democracy, people expect and have the right to choose their own leaders. But democracy requires more of citizens than just voting. The quality of democracy rests on how well citizens treat each other. 
• The global trend today is that democracies are weakening, for a range of interconnected reasons. Economic and technological changes have increased uncertainty about people's employment and future well-being. While many countries' economies are more equal today, inequality inside of countries has increased. People around the world are on the move to escape war and political conflict. Social media has energized small groups with grievances. Some leaders see opportunities in these tense and uncertain times. 
• Can you "do anything" about polarization? So much that's going on is beyond your personal influence - but you CAN strengthen your own skill sets that allow you to communicate effectively even when conversations get intense. You can Dine for Democracy!
• The idea behind Dining for Democracy is that while you are talking with other people about multifaceted and interesting questions, you are increasing your self-awareness and self-understanding about how you respond to others. Only with self-awareness can you strive to be sure your own words and disposition make things easier on all involved - including you. 
• Dining for Democracy is designed so you can initiate collaborative opportunities at the dining table, to strengthen your own and others' skills while creating and deepening your social connections. 
• The 4 Dining for Democracy steps are in the next box. 

Step 1: Set the parameters: "Agree to disagree" with your dining partners on a chosen topic. Choose a question from our "Skills and Questions" tab to the left on your laptop or above on your handheld, or come up with your own multifaceted, thought-provoking question that can be answered in many ways. Our questions don't necessarily require a lot of research to identify many possible metalevel viewpoints, although researching valid sources is always encouraged. You and your dining partners can agree on the "level" of your conversation - from grand ideas to granular facts. If you come up with your own questions, please send those in using the "DFD Feedback and Survey" tab. 

Step 2: Intentionally choose to improve: Choose 1-2 of the Communication Skills Strategies to be thinking about while you converse.   

Step 3: Be aware: As you converse, be aware of how your body responds, especially if the conversation gets intense. How does your body feel when people disagree with you? How are others responding to you? Without being aware of how are bodies respond to our circumstances, conversations can escalate even if nobody wants escalation. Reflect thoughtfully and generously on what you learned about the topic, your conversation partners, and your own skill set. Note what you did well and how you'd like to improve next time. 

Step 4: Repeat at your next meal, in your next conversation, being thoughtful and intentional about which communication skill strategy you'd most like to strengthen for your own personal and professional success. Celebrate that you're doing your part to improve the quality of civic discourse in your area! What is civic discourse? Glad you asked - you can read more about it in the next box, either a "quick read" or "deep read" version (or both!). 

• Civic discourse happens whenever people talk to each other about how their freedoms, opportunities, and purpose are affected by economics, politics, and social attitudes. 
• If you're looking at this page....you're probably stressed about how these conversations are going today. You may be worried about the overall quality of democracy in the United States and beyond.
• Talking to other people can be hard, or it can be fun. Sometimes the difference is in your own ability to respond effectively to different people who are speaking with various levels of intensity.  
• Dining for Democracy is a method for you and others to practice conversing more effectively about multifaceted, complex ideas that aren't necessarily about partisan politics. This activity grew from Principia community input and desire for opportunities to develop communication skills. 
• Please explore this webpage to find the communications skills strategies, discussion questions, and many resources about democracy and its best practices. Please answer the survey about your experience, and find the forms to suggest other questions and strategies. 
• Dining for Democracy is sponsored by the College Political Science Department and the College Ombuds. This page is managed by Dr. Julie Blase, who would love to hear from you: julie.blase@principia.edu 

Civic discourse is a fancy phrase to describe what many people often do: have a multifaceted conversation with others about how things are going in our economics, politics, and society. "Civic" things have to do with governance, government policy, and community concerns. Civic discourse is also called "civil discourse." The word "civil" has two meanings: "civil" matters concern civilians, who are ordinary people in a society who are not serving in the military or church; and to be "civil" to someone means to be kind and courteous. In any society, civilians are "the people," all of whom need to feel safe, be healthy, and fulfill their sense of purpose. In democracies, civilians expect to be able to talk about how well the government is distributing resources that ensure people's security, well-being, and purpose. Sounds pretty basic to popular notions of how government should operate, right? But....if you've come to this page, then you've noticed how the tone of public conversation about politics isn't so ideal these days, in the United States and in other countries around the world, too. Can you "do anything" about the tension and polarization about politics? Yes, you can! Democracy rests upon the capabilities of individuals, like you, to demonstrate effective civic discourse skills. the quality of democracy depends upon us and how well we listen to and respect each other. Dining for Democracy (DFD) is designed to be a self-initiated, reflective exercise in which you invite others to practice the communication skills we all need more of today in public life and personal relationships: listening, "reading the room" to understand what's appropriate to say or do, and being self-aware enough to nurture your own capacity to respond effectively in particular situations. The philosophy of DFD is that the more we all discuss multifaceted, fun, provocative, and non-partisan questions, the more we all can develop discourse skill sets that benefit our personal and professional lives. Once we have a set of trusted skills, then we can talk about politics effectively, even in the most partisan settings. 

On this site, you'll find a variety of discussion questions and a place to send in suggested questions/topics. You'll find skill strategies and a place to suggest additional civic discourse strategies for people to consciously adopt. Please complete a survey about your experience whenever you use the site and initiate a conversation. And check back often for additional resources and information about democracy in the United States and the world, and a place to suggest additional resources.

Dining for Democracy started in the Fall of 2023 as a skills-building event at the College, led by Principia's own Dr. Jennifer Stollman, under the name Principians Interested in Politics. The feedback from that event was overwhelmingly positive, and participants (about 40 College students and faculty/staff) asked for more skill-building opportunities. That request turned in the first Dining for Democracy during Spring 2024, implemented by students in Dr. Blase's POLS 120 American Government and Politics class. Feedback again was overwhelmingly positive, and participants asked for more, and suggested making it an ongoing, self-initiated community activity. DFD is sponsored by the College Department of Political Science and the College Ombuds. Dr. Julie Blase is currently the manager of this site, and she could not have put these pages together without the assistance of Director of the Marshall Brooks Library Dr. Edith List and Director of Academic Technology Christian Borja. If you have thoughts, suggestions, and inquiries about Dining for Democracy and beyond, please contact Dr. Julie directly at julie.blase@principia.edu or 618-374-5233. Have fun!!