Lets Talk about It

This is my Club Contest Winning Speech from 2021

​Lets talk about it
Religion, race... lets talk about it.
Politics, immigration, police brutality... lets talk about it
Keep in mind I DID NOT SAY... LETS YELL ABOUT, LETS ARGUE OR FIGHT ABOUT IT..
I said Let's talk about it...
Many of us are concerned with the direction our society is headed in... especially due to recent events
and we ask ourselves How did we get here... ill tell you
We don't talk to each other...
Not with those we agree with... that's easy... we have to be open to talk to those whom we do not agree with...
If you're going to talk to someone you disagree with... you also have to listen to each other.
Do I mean....when you're in a meeting and your boss says Liberals are going to ruin our country... is that a moment to discuss your political views... probably not...
Do I mean... when you sneeze and someone says bless you... is that the moment to discuss your opinions on the church? NO
There is a time and a place for everything....
I'm not saying do it every single time something comes up... but do it.
When a friend or family member says something inappropriate, offensive or inflammatory and you don't let them know it's wrong, then you are tacitly giving them your implied approval....
They now feel more emboldened in their belief....
...as we know, very bad things CAN happen... like when some of these people believe they are the "silent majority"
if we just speak to those closest to us
 it doesn't even have to be that extreme, many small evils are perpetuated for the same reason and they go largely unnoticed....
and maybe these little evils don't affect us directly but they become part of the culture of our society and someone somewhere is suffering because of the perpetuation of these evils...
But you know what that is how police brutality, and racism has gotten to where we are now....
We need to speak up...
We also need to listen, we need to listen to other people's opinions...
If their ideas are a little crazy sometimes people need a sane person to bounce their crazy off of... so they can hear a different perspective from someone...
As a society we are too afraid of conflict... Too afraid to ruffle any feathers or antagonize anyone...
If your racist uncle says something inappropriate... his feathers need to be ruffled...
I was in a social group a while back and I kept hearing comments that made me feel like I was in the 1960's...
and I said something... That makes me uncomfortable... It's offensive and I don't agree with it... and believe it or not it did not go over well HAHAHA....
Pause for 5
At first... but then the direction of banter changed... and the group became much more fun and inclusive... I know your efforts won't always be successful...
But if we want to make our society a better place... we are going to have to accept a little discomfort...
...and don't always just confront... be more indirect... ask them to explain their point of view...
if we start listening to each other...
Listening to understand...You don't have to agree to have a conversation...
I am definitely not saying to attack people for their opinions but they need to know that people disagree with them... and even if they don't admit it... they are being exposed to a different perspective...
at the very least they are realizing that not everyone thinks that way!
Maybe in expressing their feelings out loud to a person that patiently and politely responds they may change their mind...
How many of the crazy things that have happened lately and in history would have been prevented if people were simply listened to
or if people were sometimes told... I disagree with you and let me tell you why...
I saw a story a while ago about a man of color was interviewing klan members... and in listening to them and showing them kindness they found their way out of that awful organization...
If this man was able to do that... we can talk to our peers and empathize as well....
The next time a friend, a family member... a colleague says something inappropriate, offensive or inflammatory....
Let your response be. "LETS TALK ABOUT IT."