Listening to State of the Reunion just yesterday, I heard a story of cattle ranchers and environmentalists that were able to recognize mutual interest and act on it productively. These traditional enemies found that they are both interested in insuring the borderlands are both a productive resource and a preserve of nature. Turns out that the ranchers helping nature helps the ranchers and their cattle.
A key turn of phrase caught my ear: the radical center. It was described as the place that the Malpai Borderlands Group wanted to occupy, between the "pointy toed boots" and the "birkenstocks". The traditional positions of one or the other only saw victory in either unfettered grazing or pristine preservation. Everyone lined up on one side or the other. Turns out pulling together from the center was a radical approach, and produced novel and useful solutions.
I don't have to spell out that we're a highly polarized community of parents. How can we approach the center and pull together to bring in the fringe towards our common cause? How can we re-center on education instead of resource competition?
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