The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. 

-Henry David Thoreau 

In 2011, we have more opportunities to express ourselves than any generation since the beginning of time. We can write to the newspaper, go to town hall meetings, e-mail our opinions to newscasters or our friends.  We can blog, Tweet, text, post on Facebook, or upload a video to You Tube.  There is certainly no shortage of outlets for self-expression. Yet with all of these outlets encouraging us to talk, are we forgetting how to listen, how to understand? Are we just thinking about our next point, our next argument? And how do these circumstances shape the quality of our public deliberations on the issues and challenges we face nation-wide and in our communities?

Thanks to generous support from The Boeing Company and in partnership with Chicago Public Media (WBEZ-Chicago), we’re proud to present Ask Me Why, a series of recorded conversations inspired by StoryCorps National Day of Listening. We found pairs of people who know each other but who disagree on an issue and asked if we could record their conversation on the issue - but with a bit of a twist. We told our pairs they couldn’t debate, argue or challenge a point. They could only take turns asking each other questions, and listening to the answers. The goal would be, not to make a point or counterpoint, but to better understand why the other person thinks the way they do. What personal experiences shaped their opinion on this issue? Did they always have this opinion and if not, what changed their mind on the issue? Where do they get information that guides their opinion on the issue?

Perhaps you too have grown weary of the shouting matches, rancor and recriminations that characterize much of the public debate on contemporary issues. While we aren’t claiming to single-handedly remedy that, we’re hoping that Ask Me Why can serve as a reminder that thoughtful deliberation and disagreement involves not just making your point, but listening to and understanding those with whom you disagree. 

Listen to the WBEZ Ask Me Why conversations:

• Ann Hanson and Daniel Kreisman, two friends who met as graduate students studying education policy at the University of Chicago, discuss school vouchers.
• Ruth Martin and Charles Gass, teacher and student in the IHC's Odyssey Project, discuss the importance of the individual vs. society.
• Dan Schleifer and Rich Beckmann, two friends who met through a shared interest in cooking, discuss cars vs. bikes.
• Searah Deysach and Jackie Kaplan, two lesbian friends who both have long-term partners, discuss gay marriage.
• Shay Senior and Henry Pye, juniors at Global Citizenship Experience High School, discuss God's existence.
• Rabbi Brant Rosen and Boris Furman, friends who met at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregration in Evanston, discuss Isarel.
• Kate Murray and Hafsa Arain, friends who met in college at DePaul University, discuss extremism.
• Helena Carnes-Jeffries and Betsy Benefield, writer friends, discuss sex offenders and forgiveness.
• Antonieta Caicedo and Sarah Boehm, friends who met through their shared love of jazz, discuss unions.
• Ravi Radheshwar and Vijay Subramanian, friends with a close connection to U.S. immigration, discuss borders.