This year I read Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny, a short book that distills lessons from the darkest moments of the 20th century. One lesson in particular stayed with me: “Make eye contact and small talk.” In simple terms: talk to your neighbors. Seek face-to-face connection. Humanize one another.
In 2024, I ran and won my race for State Representative by knocking on more doors than anyone else in the state —and it worked. And amid the polarization in our state, our nation, and our world, Snyder’s advice feels urgently relevant.
Although I was not on the ballot in 2025, I spent months holding a listening tour across my district. Those conversations reinforced a truth that rarely appears in our social media feeds: people, when they speak in person, are far more thoughtful, reasonable, and compassionate than online discourse suggests.
Online, disagreement quickly hardens into hostility. Algorithms reward anger over understanding. People retreat into echo chambers that tell them not only what to think, but whom to fear. And increasingly, we’ve learned that some of the people fueling this anger and misinformation are being paid to do so— or are not who they claim to be. In that environment, it becomes easy to blame one another instead of asking what solutions might actually help our communities.
It’s tempting to dismiss the most aggressive online voices as “keyboard warriors,” but I’ve found that most people express hostility out of fear, not malice. Rapid economic shifts, rising costs, global instability, and local uncertainty leave many feeling unmoored. Fear convinces them that someone —usually someone different from them— is the cause of their anxiety. Fear convinces them that empathy is weakness. And fear convinces them that other people’s suffering is inevitable, or even deserved.
But when you sit across from someone at their kitchen table or at a town hall, that fear softens. People ask honest questions. They listen. They share their worries about their families, their jobs, and their bills. They want practical solutions, not partisan talking points. And more often than not, they want the same basic things: stability, safety, opportunity, and a government that works.
I was recognized for bipartisan work in Hartford this last session. That mattered to me because it reflects a principle I hold deeply: government works best when we approach one another as partners in problem-solving, not opponents in a culture war. But political incentives —especially online— too often reward division over governance.
That dynamic is dangerous because the challenges facing Connecticut are real and complex. They require sustained focus, long-term planning, and cooperation. They cannot be solved through outrage or one-minute video clips.
Consider our statewide priorities:
Energy affordability. Connecticut families pay some of the highest energy costs in the country. The most reliable way to bring those costs down is to expand the use of the lowest-cost, most proven sources: solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and nuclear power. Other states and nations are moving rapidly in this direction. We should, too.
Healthcare access and cost. Expanding Husky to all Connecticut residents would reduce overall system costs and ensure every resident can access care without financial risk.
Taxes. If we want to lower the sales tax and reduce income taxes for everyday people, we need to modernize our fiscal guardrails and build a long-term plan that reflects how people actually live and work. That requires serious bipartisan engagement.
Housing and property taxes. The most effective way to stabilize property taxes is to expand the municipal tax base. That means building smart, fiscally sound housing that allows young people, families, and seniors to stay in Connecticut. This is the conclusion reached by municipal leaders, economists, and national experts. Our recent housing bill is a start —but only a start.
Transportation. Reducing congestion and long-term infrastructure costs requires greater investment in public transit, walkable town centers, and bikeable infrastructure. These investments are not ideological —they are economic development tools.
None of these solutions are radical. All are grounded in research and successful models nationwide. The question is not whether solutions exist; it is whether we can build the trust and civic culture necessary to implement them.
Which brings me back to Snyder’s lesson. Algorithms, headlines, or viral posts do not sustain democracy. It is sustained by people looking each other in the eye and choosing cooperation over contempt.
If Connecticut is to flourish in the decades ahead, we must recommit to the simplest democratic act: talking to one another. More listening, less shouting. More shared responsibility, less shared resentment. We can solve the challenges before us —but only if we face them together.
The future of our democracy begins with a conversation. So let’s have it.
Nick Menapace is a teacher and Democratic State Representative of the 37th House District serving East Lyme, Salem, and Montville.