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Elizabeth Keating

Stylized illustration of a backyard barbecue with all of its guests looking down at their phones and not talking to each other. All the while a fire has begun in the grill and appears to be getting out of control. An excited dog makes off with a link of sausages in its mouth.

Can We Talk?: Why Discourse is Dying in America

May 2, 2017 by Rachel White

I’ll have to admit that I was a bit perplexed when I heard linguistic anthropologist Elizabeth Keating say, “There is a very strong preference for agreement in conversation in the U.S.” I couldn’t believe my ears — even the Pew Research Center pegged political polarization as the defining feature of modern U.S. politics. And it’s […]

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