The Acidity of Privilege: Building Community

April 2, 2019 Joey Cope 0

If life is about community, the attempt to preserve privilege is a sure path to ruin. Nothing divides quite as effectively as the pretense of superiority. For me, the most awkward moments are when I hear others — or painfully, myself — speaking out of privilege. The frailty of asserting [read more]

Sensitivity to Sound

December 23, 2017 Joey Cope 0

My dad was hard of hearing. He was robbed of a sensitivity to sound. Most of my life, I remember his struggle to comprehend the things that were said in his presence. Regrettably, because of the pitch of my voice in later years, he could barely understand anything I said [read more]

Talk About What Matters

November 5, 2017 Joey Cope 0

A lot of disgusting talk swirls around us. It’s always been here because people have placed a high value on status. We don’t have to be the very best at anything — just prove ourselves better than others. Yet, many of those who are the best are those who spend [read more]

Seeing the Other Side

October 8, 2017 Joey Cope 0

I’ve seen the other side. And I don’t like it. The problem with the other side is that it is theĀ other side. It’s not my side. It doesn’t fit my view of how things should be. The other side grates against who I am and, tellingly, what I want everyone [read more]

Fixing News – A Simple Plan to Build Trust

February 19, 2017 Joey Cope 0

As a mediator, one of my jobs is to look for ways that people can sit at the same table to negotiate. That can be made difficult by the negotiating tactics of one or both parties. One of the things that makes President Trump attractive to his constituents is his [read more]