Now What? Quotes

“From 1949 to 1987, the Federal Communications Commission required licensed broadcasters to devote some portion of airtime to matters of public interest and to present contrasting viewpoints about those matters. Broadcasters weren’t required to give equal time to contrasting views, but they were required to expose audiences to diversity of thought. The Fairness Doctrine eroded during the Reagan years, and some argue that its absence has led to the erosion of first, civility, and second, truth.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“There are times when some level of separation is the right answer—whether that means separating from a person, a job, or an institution.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“Party identity has become so strong it can become even more important than identities used to define us as human beings: father, sister, friend, American, church member, Christian. And some of us are now willing to sacrifice those other identities (and the relationships that go with them) on the altar of our political identity.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“it can feel like rejection to their family members. These changes will probably involve a painful road for everyone.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“not everyone in a generation feels the exact same way about everything.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“There are no garbage humans—no matter how easy that tweet is to write. We lean into humanity—at all costs. Humanization can be as simple as saying, "I see your pain." That doesn't meant I condone your actions. That doesn't mean I do not believe you to be a danger to myself and others. That certainly doesn't mean I have to vote for you or agree with you or invite you into my life (or social media feed). It simply means I see that you have a heart that beats beneath your chest and that heart is capable of breaking... just like mine.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“With the advent of social media, more news intake is curated by algorithms than editors, further increasing the nationalization of . . . well, everything. The same technology that decimated local media let national polarization flourish by elevating certain influential voices (including some of the same ones in right-wing partisan media) and silencing others.2 As national media became more influential, especially on our social networks, national politics became the stand-in for all our concerns about government.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided

“When one partner takes in information from sources their partner doesn’t consider credible, even the most seasoned practitioner of grace finds it difficult to move forward.”
― Sarah Stewart Holland, Now What?: How to Move Forward When We're Divided