What Did You Call Me?!

“What Did You Call Me?!” was a half-day educational workshop that convened 200 inter-generational individuals from across southern New Hampshire to consider whether and how the practice of labeling others contributes to or subtracts from the quality of democratic society in 21st Century America.  Keynote remarks were made by Prof. Chris Beem (Pennsylvania State University), who spoke about the seven democratic virtues (or habits) needed to save and sustain democracy in polarized times. In small groups, individuals then questioned the effectiveness of looking at one another through partisan political lenses, the elements that make a life flourishing (eudaimonia), and ultimately whether we should approach one another and public issues using virtues such as humility, honesty, courage, consistency, temperance, love, and hope. Co-led by students at the Souhegan Ethics Forum and funded in part by New Hampshire Humanities.