John Crosby

Trump Doesn’t Want You To See This So, here you go!

open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...

The absence of malice doesn't mean the absence of harm. Impact matters even when intent was good. Make room for both truths.

Seek out voices from different backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives. Not as tokens, but as teachers. You don't know what you don't know.

If your solution only works for people exactly like you, it's not a solution—it's a preference. Think bigger.

"I hadn't considered that" is one of the most powerful phrases in human conversation. Use it when you mean it.

When someone shares something difficult, don't immediately compare it to your experience. Just listen. There's time for your story later.

Privilege is real, but so is pain. Someone's advantages in one area don't negate their struggles in another. People are complicated.

If you're only talking to people like you, you're not building understanding—you're building a bunker. Get out of the bunker.

Disagree with the idea, not the person. "I see it differently" lands better than "You're wrong." Both can be honest, but one keeps the door open.

Ask: Who's missing from this conversation? Whose voice isn't here? What might they say? Seek those perspectives out.

Your perspective is shaped by where you sit. Someone in a different situation sees things you can't. That's not wrong—that's geometry.

Build a personal information diet. Academic sources, primary documents, established journalism, credible experts in the field, and yes—different perspectives. All of it together.

Ask follow-up questions. "Okay, but why?" Keep going. "And then?" "But what about?" The first answer is rarely the complete answer.

Look at timelines and context. When was this said? What was happening then? Has the situation changed? Old data doesn't always apply to new circumstances.

Distinguish between different types of claims: factual (testable), moral (subjective but reasoned), predictive (likely but uncertain). Different claims need different standards.

Check for hidden assumptions. "If X, then Y" assumes that nothing else matters. What else might matter? What would change the outcome?

Read with steel-manning in mind. Try to understand why intelligent people believe this. What do they see that you might be missing? Then disagree if you still do.

The burden of proof matters. Who has to prove what? Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Standard claims require standard evidence. Don't demand the same bar for both.

Look for peer review and replication. Has this been tested by others? Do they get the same results? One study is a data point, not a conclusion.

Understand statistical significance. A small difference in a large sample might be statistically significant but practically meaningless. Context matters.

Watch for the false consensus: "Everyone thinks..." Check that claim. Is it actually everyone or just your circle? Your algorithm? Your media diet?

Look for common ground first. You probably agree on more than you think. Start there, then explore where you diverge. It changes the entire conversation.

Assume good faith until proven otherwise. Most people aren't trying to deceive you—they're trying to make sense of a complex world with the information they have.

When someone shares a perspective different from yours, your first response should be curiosity, not correction. "Tell me more" opens doors that "Actually..." closes.

The goal isn't to win the argument. The goal is to understand the truth together. Collaboration beats competition every time.

Someone's lived experience is data you don't have. You can question their conclusions without dismissing their reality.

"Why do you think that?" is a better question than "How can you think that?" One seeks understanding. The other seeks confrontation.

Listen to understand their reasoning, not to find holes in it. You can do both, but do the first one first. Most people can tell the difference.

The people who disagree with you aren't stupid. They have different information, different experiences, or different values. Figure out which one it is before you respond.

Before dismissing someone's perspective, ask yourself: What would I need to have experienced to believe what they believe? This doesn't mean agreeing—it means understanding.