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What are BD Discussions?

Civil, Civic Education

Bipartisan Disagreement aims to help create civic communities that can bring people together to discuss issues in a civil manner, engage in the political process, and build a community of like-minded people. You may leave a BD conversation persuaded to change your mind, with a new perspective on an issue, or feeling less anxious about the state of the union. Regardless of your thoughts on the discussion topic, one thing is sure… you will leave with friends and a community of like-minded young leaders that genuinely want to see improvement in their local community. Because we want to see each other thrive, we commit to listening first, pursuing a deeper understanding, and never assuming the worst in others.

How Discussions Work

Discussion meetings are a casual environment. We are not a debate club. Snacks, jokes, and laughter are all common features of the average BD discussion meeting. There is no need to sign up and participation is entirely voluntary. That means if you simply want to show up for some free food and entertainment, you are welcome to sit in the back and never say a word. However, we find that the best moments always come when attendees listen to their peer’s thoughts and concerns.

Discussion meetings are led by a member of the local chapter’s staff whose job is to ensure that the discussion remains productive and respectful as well as to chaperone thought exercises and games. Each chapter is different, but we do our best to ensure that every discussion meeting is as welcoming and exciting as possible. Our goal is to create a community of future civic leaders who understand that each of us can always learn something new from one another.

Keeping It Cool When Things Get Hot

The Code of Ethics is formulated at the first meeting of every semester and is used to help keep mutual respect at the forefront of discussions. The code of ethics is generally self-policed but will be enforced by the discussion leader if needed. If an attendee is offended by the thoughts, opinions, or perspectives of another attendee, we encourage further discussion to address the issue. If an attendee demonstrates bad faith practices during the discussion (including but not limited to being purposefully offensive, being intolerant of good faith opinions, and dogpiling a minority opinion), the discussion leader will ask the attendee(s) to leave the meeting. See below for an example of a Code of Ethics.