Richmond, Virginia — Recent polls confirm what many Americans feel. The current political climate divides usBut the work of the nonprofit StoryCorps is seeking to bridge that gap by finding common ground through shared stories.
In a recent conversation hosted by StoryCorps, two men from different generations and political walks of life sat down to discuss the issue.
“I grew up in a conservative Catholic household,” Patrick Kliebert, 29, told Gary Snead, 66, who responded by saying he was a “staunch liberal.”
Their conversation was part of what they called the “One Small Step” initiative and was supervised by Claire LeBlond of StoryCorps.
“It involves being brave and taking small steps,” LeBlond told CBS News.
The idea is that in a world where we rarely ever have to physically meet people with whom we disagree, meeting face-to-face may be one of the only ways to overcome that barrier.
“There are levels of contact, and especially repeated contact, can slowly start to change people’s relationships,” LeBlond said, explaining that it’s hard to hate someone you’re in contact with.
“We’ve heard a lot of participants feel that way in conversations,” LeBlond said.
It’s important to note that Sneed and Kliebert aren’t here to debate. The StoryCorps conversation isn’t about “changing anyone’s mind” or “getting your point across,” LeBlond says. They’re here to learn about the assumptions that keep us from understanding each other.
For example, Snead, who describes himself as a “staunch liberal,” told Kliebert that he is a “staunch supporter of the Second Amendment.”
“I honestly support issues like health care for all,” said Klivert, a conservative.
They are more than politics. They find themselves sharing the pain of loss.
“We both belong to a club that nobody needs to belong to,” Snead said.
StoryCorps says anyone who agrees with the idea that differences don’t have to lead to compromise can join the “One Small Step” conversations online, from anywhere.
Fifty minutes into their conversation, Kluivert and Snead appear to have taken a small step forward.
“Thank you for opening up about your son,” Kliebert told Snead. “I’m grateful we had the opportunity to talk about it.”
That’s not surprising to Le Blond, who has led 198 such conversations and said she has never seen participants storm out of the room.
One of the few things Americans can agree on these days is how divided we are. A CBS News poll released in March asked Americans to “describe the current state of the country in one word.” 61% of respondents chose “divided,” five times as many as chose “united.”
“I don’t live in a world where everyone is divided and full of contempt,” LeBlond said. “I live in a world where we take things one step at a time.”
