In the small town of Caroline in central New York state, there seems to be a war going on. A large sign in the town reads, “There’s a war in the valley, time to pick a side.” The divide is over proposed zoning laws. Rebecca Schillenback is a resident who wrote a letter to the local paper objecting to the war-like us-vs-them rhetoric she sees her neighbors using. I talk to Rebecca about: the nature of this divide and the roots of the emotions; how it relates to our national us-vs-them divides; and her Quaker faith and its role in her attempt to reduce anger.
Podcast links:
Some resources related to our talk:
- Rebecca’s website www.fullcircleceremony.com
- Article from Dec 2022 about the Caroline divide
- Dec 2022 article about resident reactions to zoning proposals
- Facebook group Caroline residents against zoning