The Dignity Index Scores Political Language, Not the People Using It
Tami Pyfer argues that political disagreement becomes dangerous when it turns into contempt: the belief that people on the other side are not merely wrong but evil or undeserving of a place in the community. Drawing on her experience as a former Utah policy adviser and a mother of five children with different political views, she and her colleagues developed the Dignity Index, an eight-point scale for assessing language in political disputes. Pyfer says the tool can help people recognise contempt in their own words and make room for disagreement without denying one another’s dignity.
TED·Nov 3, 2026·4 min read
