Bangor Daily News: Why we must re-engage, even when we disagree
The Bangor Daily News has published an opinion piece by UMaine Sociology Dept Alum Michael Rocque ’05, now Assistant Professor at Bates College, and his frequent co-author, Chad Posnick, an associate professor of criminal justice and criminology at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro:
Why We Must Re-engage, Even When We Disagree
By Michael Rocque and Chad Posick, Special to the BDN • July 17, 2018 6:00 am
Updated: July 17, 2018 8:17 am
“Last month, after White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant, Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, called upon Americans to “push back” against those working in the current administration. “They’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store, the people are going to turn on them, they’re going to protest, they’re going to absolutely harass them,” she said.
These incidents are microcosms of a larger trend in American — especially political — discourse. Daily we see videos of individuals accosting others who do not look white, telling them to leave the country or speak English. Our president has taken to tweeting derisive nicknames for political opponents. The more vitriol, the better, it seems.”