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Erica Etelson

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    Leveraging big ideas

    Covid and the negotiation of public space

    Erica Etelson
    October 25, 2022
    Masks in public spaces

    We should negotiate for a lasting peace regarding Covid protections in public spaces. "Once people start listening and brainstorming, ingenious ideas will likely emerge," writes Etelson.

    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

    Etelson is the author of “Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide” and co-founder of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative.

    In a country so polarized that even a chain restaurant’s menu turns into a culture war food fight, it’s not surprising that we lack a consensus around Covid prevention policies. Covid found not only our public health apparatus wanting, but our public discourse as well. Two and half years in, we are not even attempting to negotiate the sharing of public space by people with widely divergent opinions regarding how dangerous Covid is and how far we should go in trying to protect ourselves and others from it.

    Most of us, if we have the luxury of autonomy, order off the a la carte menu whatever precautions we perceive to be the most effective or manageable and then sit in judgment on those who load up their plates with different items. Some won’t dine indoors but will fly on an airplane. Some won’t go to a party but will sit through an indoor concert. Some host an extended family holiday meal but want all students in masks. Everyone thinks they’re right and that those who have calibrated risk differently are wrong.

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    Government Ethics

    The one question every American can ask themselves about impeachment

    Erica Etelson
    October 15, 2019
    The one question every American can ask themselves about impeachment

    "The issue at hand is whether Trump committed crimes grave enough to warrant his removal from office," writes Erica Etelson.

    Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Etelson is a member of Better Angels, a citizens group fighting political polarization, and the author of "Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide."

    In my one-year retrospective last month on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, I observed that partisan bias played a huge role in whether one believed nominee Brett Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford. Extreme partisan disparity is evident once again in public opinion polls concerning impeachment.

    Eighty-seven percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Republicans approve of Congress launching an impeachment inquiry, according to a September 26-27 YouGov poll commissioned by CBS News. Likewise, when asked whether Trump's handling of Ukraine is "typical — a thing most presidents do" or "unusual — something few have done," 71 percent of Republicans but just 15 percent of Democrats say it is typical.

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