As the conversations continue about increasing civility after the shooting at the congressional practice field, we are hearing the term bipartisanship as something to strive for in politics. But, bipartisanship still keeps us in the realm of dichotomies such as us-them, in-group versus out-group, Republican-Democrat, wrong and right, good and bad.
For a moment, Bernie Sanders had us considering that there are more than two perspectives vying for the leadership of our country but many are back to pretending that there is a box, or side, representing Democrats and a contrasting box, or side, that represents Republicans somehow adding up to the whole of our population. When I hear signs of this thinking (or lack of) in higher education, I find it especially concerning that our critical thinking and diversity and inclusion touting environment can be part of promoting this type of (scary) simplicity. If we think and behave as such simpletons, how can we prepare students for sophisticated citizenship?
At the Innovation League Learning Summit that concluded on Wednesday at the Omni in Paradise Valley, the "Ten Skills for the Future Workforce" (University of Phoenix Research Institute) handout was one of my favorite tools offered to us. Could these skills help all of us improve our multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary, trans-perspective inspired thinking & behavior, as well as outcomes, for our micro and macro communities? I think so!
Thank you Innovation League and University of Phoenix Research Institute ~
__________________
Another perspective, perhaps consistent with Chomsky, would be that two perspective, two party thinking isn't even real ... that there is only one establishment and we falsely believe that we are considering more than one way of thinking through the two party dichotomy ... hmmmmm ... so many opportunities for critical thinking ~
