In this sharp and honest clip from our Live Q&A, political commentator and writer Cameron Cohen of The Cameron Journal lays out one of the biggest barriers to productive conversation:
“There’s the thing we’re talking about—and then there’s how we talk about it. Compromise happens in the space between the reality and the narrative.”
Cameron’s been on both sides of the political divide—working within the Tea Party, the Occupy movement, and running a politically diverse publication. What he’s learned is this:
We aren’t just disagreeing about issues—we’re stuck in opposing storylines about those issues.
🧠 Why it matters:
We often don’t realize it, but when we debate someone, we’re not debating the facts—we’re battling narratives. And those narratives come with heat, identity, and tribal loyalty attached.
But step out of that frame? Get closer to the actual thing? That’s when real conversation becomes possible.
Cameron calls this “the delta”—the gap between reality and how we talk about it. And it’s in that space where compromise and common ground actually live.
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