Why this WA professor thinks politics and beer are a good combination

TACOMA – Ben Franklin may have never actually said “beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy” – but one Washington professor suggests the frothy beverage could be a balm for our polarized times.

Michael Goldsby, an associate professor of philosophy at Washington State University, is urging people to reconnect over a pint rather than getting in political battles on social media.

He made his case in a recent talk titled “How Beer Might Save Democracy,” presented by Humanities Washington. And yes, many of those who attended the gathering in the Spanish Ballroom at McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma last week had a pint or two.

It’s been a chaotic election cycle in an era where Americans are highly polarized.

Not only are we more divided, but we’re finding it harder to bridge that gap. The Pew Research Center found last year that most American adults – 61% – find political conversations with people they disagree with “stressful and frustrating.” Just eight years ago, 46% found those conversations stressful and frustrating, while 51% found them “interesting and informative.”

One in 4 Washington voters told Elway Research last November that they’d stopped talking to a friend or relative because of politics.

Beer has been lubricating social interactions for thousands of years, but could it really be a remedy in an era of such stark division?

Goldsby says he first got the idea when he noticed he wasn’t getting along on Facebook with a friend he served with in the military – someone he had trusted with his life – but he was able to have a civil conversation about the reliability of media sources with a stranger in a bar in a small town in Montana.

“I started thinking more about reward structures when someone is online and talking about politics, and the reward structures that occur when someone is sharing a beverage with somebody and talking politics,” he said in a recent interview.

It can be easy to get worked up online. Goldsby said he’s not trying to bad-mouth social media, and that positives have come from it, but the platforms reinforce hyperpartisan behavior.

For example, he said, you’ll probably get a lukewarm reaction if you call for a nuanced view of the Second Amendment.

“If, on the other hand, you post something like: ‘They will get my guns when they pry it from my cold, dead hands,’ you’re going to get a ton of likes, and it’s going to feel good,” he told the crowd at the Elks Temple.

It feels good to be righteously angry, Goldsby said, but you may get unfriended by people who disagree with you, spiraling into a situation where your online world is an echo chamber where it’s much easier to ignore other points of view.

By contrast, in person, there’s more of an incentive to be diplomatic.

“I believe that sitting next to somebody and sharing a beverage promotes greater understanding,” Goldsby said, “If for no other reason than you’re much more likely to get punched if you’re mean.”

And you don’t even need alcohol to bridge divides.

“You bring a cupcake to your sworn enemy,” he said, “and they’re going to soften.”

Goldsby’s idea resonated with Wes Weir, of Gig Harbor, who attended the professor’s talk. A Republican who won’t support Trump in this year’s election, he regularly plays golf with friends who hold different political opinions.

“We are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but we’re civil to each other, because we see each other and we’re friends,” he said.

Terry Murphy, of Federal Way, who described his politics as left of center, said the idea of compromise has gone “out the window.”

“The middle are sort of just on the sidelines, and now we’ve got the left and the right yelling at each other, and nobody will budge,” he said.

Goldsby acknowledged there are “bad actors” and stressed that people should prioritize their safety when trying to bridge political divides. Don’t go out and buy beers for people at a KKK rally, he said.

“At the same time, we should also make it uncomfortable for them, and one way to do that is to talk to folks that maybe are getting influenced by those folks, and getting them to connect with you on a human level,” he said.

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, working with several other entities, has undertaken a Civic Health Project aimed at promoting civic discourse and working together to compromise despite political differences. When the project got underway, said Democratic Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, they convened diverse focus groups across the state, with about eight to 12 people in each.

“Even if they had very strongly held differences of opinion, they largely acted like adults and treated one another with respect,” Heck said. “I am a fairly big believer that no small part of the problem we’re having right now with civic discourse is the negative effect of social media platforms.”

But it’s not the only cause, Heck says, pointing to the lack of civics education and the decline of local journalism.

Brewers are enthusiastic about the idea of pubs and beer halls as settings for reaching across political differences.

Brian Crawford, president and CEO of the Beer Institute, representing the nation’s roughly $400 billion beer industry, said in a statement that beer “is instrumental in bridging our political divides.”

“Beer and the American story are intrinsically intertwined, dating back to our Founding Fathers coming together over beers to form what would become the United States of America,” he said. “In a world that often feels fractured, beer is a common thread that connects us and fosters a sense of unity.”

Daniel Olson, executive director of the Washington Brewers Guild, which represents more than 400 Washington craft breweries, calls beer “a great equalizer.”

“You have folks from all different backgrounds, all different perspectives, all sorts of ages that are big fans of brewing and breweries,” he said.

In keeping with his thesis, after wrapping up his speech Monday, Goldsby invited the crowd to raise a glass with him.

“Not everybody’s evil out there. Not everybody on the other side is evil, but we’ve got to figure out how to talk to them a little bit more, and I hope that we figure out how to do that,” he said. “This is my one shot at making the world a tiny bit better with my talents. So, cheers, folks.”