Alexander Hinton is a professor of anthropology at Rutgers University.
FLYNN MYERS / THE QUADRANGLE
Flynn Myers, Staff Writer
Alexander Hinton, Ph.D., professor of anthropology and director of the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University held a presentation on Feb. 27 in Kelly Commons to discuss the current political state of America, and highlighted important steps that citizens should follow on both ends of the political spectrum. Hinton was invited to speak by the MU Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center (HGI). The presentation mainly focused on empathy and communication within current politics occuring in America.
Hinton discussed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and spoke about what he witnessed as an observer walking through. This allowed him to understand where everyone’s head was at during the event, what people thought of it and where Americans stand overall on the opposite sides of the political spectrum.
“We’re all in a bubble, and I think everyone knows what that means,” Hinton said. “It’s only when you go outside of your social media acology that you can be exposed to different sorts of ideas.”
FLYNN MYERS / THE QUADRANGLE
The main focus of Hinton’s presentation was teaching attendees to get in touch with their senses in order to fully observe and understand others. He emphasized going outside of oneself to understand another person’s point of view, and that this will pose a greater connection in seeing people and their thoughts.
“This presentation is going to be organized around five senses,” Hinton said. “I’ve begun to tell you about the first one which is touch, I’m going to go quickly through taste, hearing, sound and then dive more deeply into sight and smell and end up with balance and movement.”
Hinton discussed his journey through the CPAC event and what he was able to digest through each of the senses. He was able to form a better understanding of the people around him and also get a grasp on what their motives were.
“Those senses that I’ve been using as a metaphor provide the groundwork for a moral compass, and a moral compass provides a way to navigate difficult situations,” Hinton said. “To burst out of our bubbles and enter into other spaces where people think differently. So, we have the title of inclusive communities. How do we navigate troubling times? All of these moves are necessary parts of a moral life to extend the metaphor, they give us balance and they enable movement.”
As the presentation came to an end, Hinton spoke about how to understand other people on a deeper level. He touched on expressing empathy, and having it present when trying to understand others’ political differences.
“In one sense, you try to get in the mind of what’s going on with people,” Hinton said. “And then, you also try to connect with how they might feel.”
Mehnaz Afridi, Ph.D., professor of religion and the director of the HGI center at Manhattan University discussed her thoughts on the dangers of extremism in America. She emphasized the issues of this concept found on both sides of the political spectrum.
“Yes, definitely there are issues with extremism,” Afridi said. “That’s why I had the lecture here tonight, because I know that Alexander Hinton does empathy work, but he was also at CPAC. Alexander Hinton is really pushing us to see that it can happen on both sides and that we need to have this dialogue and conversation, even if we don’t agree. If someone votes Republican or Democrat, they should be able to have dialogue, because this is getting more and more polarized.”
Many students attended this event and had thoughts on the material being presented. Besty Hoff, a freshman and psychology major discussed her thoughts on the importance of the presentation and how she absorbed the information.
“[It was] definitely good to hear,” Hoff said. “I know I’m certainly educated about what’s happening and I know some people are not. So, I think it is good to have these conversations, even if they start small.”