An interview with a political hostility expert
America is politically divided — we’re losing the dignity and respect that make our country great. “94 percent of Americans say all people deserve to be treated with dignity,” according to the Dignity Index website. “Only 31 percent say that we actually treat each other that way.” This difference is called the “Dignity Gap.”
The Dignity Index is a rubric system that started in 2021. It began as a data reporting site. It uses an eight-point system to rank public political speeches on dignity or contention. On the scale, one is very contentious, and eight is dignifying rhetoric.
“The Dignity Index scores the language we use in moments of conflict or disagreement. It doesn’t score people, but it scores the language we use and reflects the mindset behind that language,” said Tami Pyfer to The Rostra.
A key way we can have more dignity in our rhetoric is by protecting the right to free thought and speech in the public sphere. In an article on the Dignity Index page named Applauding the Principle of Free Speech, Tom Rosshirt writes about an elected official asking the public to refrain from booing or cheering at comments during a public meeting. Displays such as cheering, booing, or even holding poster signs are often thought to be an exercise of free speech. They can also intimidate or deter people from sharing their opinions and participating in healthy debate. As Tom wrote, “If you want to protect freedom of speech, you have to make sure everyone feels free to speak.”
Can the Dignity Index be used in simple conversations, not only as a barometer for political speeches? “We originally designed the Dignity Index for political speech, but shortly after we pilot tested it in Utah, we found people from across the country who wanted to apply the Index not to politics, but to themselves,” said Pyfer to The Rostra.
The framework of the Dignity Index is built on the idea that a healthy democratic society is dependent on the rhetoric of the citizens and elected leaders. If the rhetoric of a political society becomes dehumanizing, accusatory, or even violent, the society loses trust in the institutions and the divide between people making a compromise deepens
“52% of Americans have stopped talking about issues they care about with family or friends,” Pyfer said, sourcing a recent National survey they commissioned, “because the conversations can get too heated, and 51% of Americans have not shared their opinion because they’re worried about how others may react or treat them. Half of the country is silenced by contempt,” said Pyfer.
According to the Dignity Index, two out of three individuals believe we are too divided to solve our problems.
The Dignity Index is a movement made to address some of the core issues facing American society today and the challenges our Republic faces, healing the destructive divides preventing our cooperation. Dignity isn’t simply being nice to people you disagree with; it is the genuine respect of the freedoms of others. “There is no America without democracy. There is no democracy without healthy debate. And there is no healthy debate without dignity,” said Tami Pyfer.
Dalton is a student at John Adams college. He is an avid book reader and movie enthusiast. Dalton loves participating in politics and engaging in civic discussions.
