Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk

Recovering the lost art of true and civilized conversation | Mindy Belz

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

Sometimes our national conversation comes off paltry—how much did Sarah Palin pay for the suit and pumps?—and sometimes it turns substantive, even sublime. Today we find ourselves often in the latter mode (bluster over the iPhone's controversial antenna or the pace of the Obamas' vacation aside). Dominating the national conversation are mid-term elections, taxes, rising healthcare costs, unemployment benefits, energy policy in the wake of an oil disaster, the conduct of war, safety for children in the womb—in short, important issues that matter to most of us.

So why is so much of the national conversation so unhelpful? Why do we end debates with neighbors, restaurant encounters with friends, 20 minutes before a newscast, or a half-hour scrolling Facebook feeling deflated rather than elevated, or, if we're honest, smug rather than smarter?