Engage with dignity
Imagine a world where we all treated people with dignity rather than contempt. John Inazu, Professor of Law and Religion, posted on his Substack page a brief introduction to the Dignity Index. It’s a new tool to help people with strong disagreements engage in political dialogue and be able to learn from each other.
UNITE, a national initiative to ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems, designed the Dignity Index which was then tested in a pilot project in Utah. (Read the full report here.) You can read more about the Index here and watch a video here, but this is the snapshot version of it:
This tool focuses not on the substantive viewpoints but on the manner in which speakers convey those viewpoints – on behavior, not issues – on whether their words convey dignity or contempt for the other person. Inazu’s post comes out of his experience participating in a conference sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute and Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute. (You can access video of the full conference here.)
The Dignity Index is a simple eight-point scale that classifies the speech people use on a spectrum. Inazu quotes a conference participant, Tim Shriver, about the scale:
“On one end of the continuum is treating people with hatred and contempt. When we characterize someone at the lowest level, we will say, “You do not deserve to live. I disagree with you so much. You're an animal, you're subhuman. I don't care whether you survive.” That's a call to violence.”
John Inazu adds his own thoughts on the role the Dignity Index can have in seeking greater civility, perhaps even unity, in our nation:
“The goal is to move as far away as possible from the low end (contempt) and closer toward the high end (dignity). It focuses not on the substantive viewpoints but on the manner in which speakers convey those viewpoints. Researchers supporting the Dignity Index have begun classifying the campaign language of various political candidates.”
Inazu then gave this practical idea shared by Shriver about one use of the Dignity Index: “when you receive a fundraising letter from any organization using language in the 1-3 range, put it right in the trash.”
We cannot do the same with another person, of course. That would violate the purpose and undermine the goal of it all. We can respond by communicating in words, tone, and body language appropriate to level 5 and up. We can listen respectfully and seek to understand what the other person says. However … if the other person reacts at the lower levels of this index, just walk away. You do not elevate the other person’s dignity by continuing to engage, and you undermine your own dignity by letting the other person “trash” you.
Will using this Dignity Index as a tool for fostering better communication and seeking greater unity resolve our deep divisions? No. Some people will continue to choose to engage at the bottom of the Index. Other people, though, may learn from it and begin to engage one another with greater dignity.
