Our disagreements aren’t causing the divisions in our country; it’s what we do when we disagree. The Dignity Index® scores distinct phrases along an eight-point scale from contempt to dignity. By focusing on the sound bites, not the people behind them, the Index attempts to stay true to its own animating spirit: that everyone deserves dignity.
When life gets overwhelming and hard, where do you turn? Rainn Wilson–best known as Dwight Schrute, the ambitious, beet-loving paper salesman on The Office–turns to “the notorious G-O-D.” After finding success in Hollywood, Rainn realized fame was not enough to calm his anxieties nor soothe the longing in his soul. So he turned inward, returning to the Baha’i faith he was raised on and discovering the value that spirituality brings to us as individuals and as a community.
The first ever Dignity Index was released to score the messages from political candidates on a eight-point scale. The lower the number, the more contemptuous and divisive the language. The stakes are high: we have divisions not because of disagreement, but because of contempt. Focusing on the dignity of how we talk to each other is a practical strategy for moving the country forward.
She was a Republican appointee, religious Mormon and grandmother of ten. Then she began to wonder: what if politicians got rewarded for resisting contempt?
She was a Republican appointee, religious Mormon and grandmother of ten. Then she began to wonder: what if politicians got rewarded for resisting contempt?