Does America Have a Future?
The other day I hit a quandary. Maybe you can help me resolve it. A little background will help you understand how I got to the quandary. Ten years ago I wrote a book. It [...]
The Other Reason “Spotlight” Is Still Relevant Today
Every year my wife goes off on vacation, and I use the time to catch up on Oscar-winning movies from years past. This summer I saw maybe a half dozen, all of which were superbly [...]
Dialogue and Dublin Billy
For a few days in June, Billy and I ate breakfast at the same café. It’s in the working-class neighborhood of Dublin where I was staying for the annual conference of the International Listening Association. [...]
Dialing Down the News Intake to Sane Levels
I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions. That’s because, well, they sort of made me, bubbling to the surface early in the morning of January 1. And they quickly coalesced into a catchy slogan: More zazen. [...]
Why I’ve Hit the Pause Button on Dialogue
Not so long ago, most of my writing was devoted to dialogue. Dialogue and Donald Trump. Dialogue and the debate over guns. Dialogue and why my website isn’t called Dialogue Venture anymore. A whole book [...]
The Media and Other Groups That May or May Not Exist
Spend 10 minutes discussing any hot-button issue, and you will inevitably hear something about the media. Most of us take the term for granted, as though we all know exactly what it means. It’s like [...]
Rx for Your Trump Hangover
Note: this piece originally appeared in The Huffington Post on January 31. It's written primarily for my progressive friends, and the intent is not to bash Mr. Trump (though I do criticize him--in a measured way, I [...]
A Time for Dialogue, a Time to Shut Up
You may find the title of this post somewhat odd, especially for a blog about dialogue. But the aftermath of the U.S. election has brought up some things for me, and they have to do [...]
Care Like a Citizen, Think Like a Journalist (Part 1)
Political lies used to imply that there was a truth…. Evidence, consistency and scholarship had political power. Today a growing number of politicians and pundits simply no longer care. They are content with what Stephen [...]
Donald vs. Facts: Undocumented Mexican Criminals
Last week we started evaluating Donald Trump’s stated positions in light of facts and sober analysis (at least the best I could find). As it turns out, his immigration policy is way too big for [...]