Writer wants to start civility movement
On my own Facebook page and Twitter feed, I encourage civil discourse, and these limited spaces seem to be mainly free from foul language or hate (so far). The community seems to self-police, with some encouragement from me.
I don't know how to start a movement, but I do know how to use my own voice. I suggest you do, too. Push back, respectfully. Challenge people to find ways to express their ideas and points of view without using hate-charged language.
I welcome feedback about this from readers.
Dear Amy: My husband and I are in our 30s and live on the East Coast.
My entire extended family (15 people) lives in the Midwest. We see my aunts and uncles when we visit my parents twice a year.
I talk to my parents, brother and grandmother on the phone regularly, but I would like to develop a closer relationship with one aunt and uncle, in particular.
They don't have kids of their own. They're great role models and they've always made gestures toward me. They taught me how to cook and bake from scratch. In graduate school, I received Christmas decorations they were getting rid of. (This was a huge deal to me, and a complete surprise at the time!)
Recently, as they've begun to downsize, they've been giving my husband and me things we might use, including some items that have been in the family for generations. They're not big on email or texting, and I'm not big on Facebook.
Do I swallow the awkwardness and call them out of the blue? How often? How do I tell them that I want to reach out more?
I know my grandmother appreciates my random "Hi, how are you?" calls. But saying, "Hi, I'd like more of a relationship with you," is not a sentence I'm going to say, even if it's re-phrased.
...continued
