• Our societies are increasingly polarized

     

    Click arrow >> to continue

     

     

    We are divided about what problems exist, who is responsible and how to tackle them

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our ability to function within a pluralistic, interdependent system is being eroded

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our capacity to make collective decisions (consult, build consensus, compromise)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our capacity to solve complex problems
    (speak, listen, agree on facts)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our capacity for empathy, compassion,
    curiosity, growth and love

     

     

     

     

     

     

    These human capacities are all diminished  when we are divided

     

     

     

     

     

     

    We experience stress in our in families, friendships & communities

     

     

     

     

     

     

    We are incapable of solving any problem
    when we are divided

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Apparent progress is partial, short-lived and fuels opposition and resentment

     

     

     

     

     

     

    As in nature, division in human society
    leads to decomposition and death

     

     

     

     

     

     

    No human system has survived extreme polarization (Apartheid, Nazism)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    But there is hope

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Societies don’t become polarized overnight,

    group identities harden slowly

     

     

     

     

     

    Human beings are wired for love, as long as there is contact between groups there is a chance to reverse polarization

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This is especially true of connectors, those willing and curious to socialize across groups

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Connectors exist in every system, yet they may not realize how important they are 

     

     

     

     

     

     

    In a polarized state, they tend to be chastised for fraternizing with the enemy

     

     

     

     

     

     

    But if empowered they can help bring us
    back from the brink

     

     

     

     

     

     

    These are the unifiers we seek.
    Are you one of them?

     

     

     

     

  • The Problem

    broken image

    Why Polarization

    Polarization isn't just about politics. Culture, health, faith and an alarming growing list of issues are too divisive to discuss. For open and diverse societies to thrive we have a critical responsibility to build our collective capacity for dialogue across ideology.

    broken image

    What is Polarization

    Polarization happens when ideas are pushed to the extreme and middle ground disappears. Us vs. them ideologies split us into in-groups and out-groups that attribute bad ideas to bad people. The loudest voices prevail over kindness and reason, and it's dangerous.

     

    "We define polarization as the moment we break off human relationships because of extreme differences in our ideas."

    broken image

    Who can fix polarization

    Polarization is often framed as something too big to fix, something created by politicians over which we have little control. We reject that idea. Separation, alienation and division start with each of us and so does love, respect and the capacity to change.

  • Polarization Examples​

    Abortion

    Borders

    Climate

    Equal pay

    Education

    Guns

    Health

    LGBTQ

    Monuments

    Police

    Poverty

    Race

    Reparations

    Taxes

    Vaccination

    Voting

  • Bibliography

    1. Alava, S., Frau-Meigs, D., & Hassan, G. (2017). Youth and violent extremism on social media: Mapping the research. UNESCO.
    2. Anello, E., Hernandez, J., & Khadem, M. (2014). Transformative leadership : developing the hidden dimension. Harmony Equity Press.
    3. Anzaldúa, G., & Keating, A. (Eds.). (2002). This bridge we call home : Radical visions for transformation. Routledge.
    4. Benjamin, R. (2019a). Captivating technology : race, carceral technoscience, and liberatory imagination in everyday life. Duke University Press.
    5. Benjamin, R. (2019b). Race after technology : Abolitionist tools for the new Jim code. Polity.
    6. Bradlee, B. (2018). The forgotten : how the people of one Pennsylvania county elected Donald Trump and changed America. Little, Brown and Company.
    7. Brubaker, D. R. (2009). Promise and peril : understanding and managing change and conflict in congregations. Alban Institute.
    8. Brubaker, D. R., Brubaker, E. N., Yoder, C., & Haase, T. J. (2019). When the center does not hold : leading in an age of polarization. Fortress Press.
    9. Calloway-Thomas, C. (2010). Empathy in the global world : an intercultural perspective. Sage.
    10. Caudill, H. M. (2010). The watches of the night. Jesse Stuart Foundation.
    11. Caudill, H. M. (2017). Night comes to the Cumberlands, a biography of a depressed area. Independently published.
    12. Chakraborti, N., & Garland, J. (2015). Hate crime : impact, causes & responses. Sage Publications.
    13. Cloke, K. (2018). Politics, dialogue and the evolution of democracy: how to discuss race, abortion, immigration, gun control, climate change, same sex marriage and other hot topics. Goodmedia Press.
    14. Cowen, T. (2018). Stubborn attachments: A vision for a society of free, prosperous, and responsible individuals. Stripe Press.
    15. Deneen, P. J. (2018). Why liberalism failed. Yale University Press.
    16. Gelman, A. (2010). Red state, blue state, rich state, poor state: why Americans vote the way they do. Princeton University Press.
    17. Gluck, C. (1985). Japan’s modern myths : ideology in the late Meiji period. Princeton University Press, Cop.
    18. Haidt, J. (2013). The righteous mind : why good people are divided by politics and religion. Vintage Books,.
    19. Hicks, D. (2013). Dignity : its essential role in resolving conflict. Yale University Press.
    20. Hochschild, A. R. (2016). Strangers in their own land : anger and mourning on the American right. The New Press.
    21. Ignatiev, N. (2009). How the Irish became white. Routledge.
    22. Irons, P. H. (1993). Justice at war: The story of the Japanese-American internment cases. University Of California Press.
    23. Isenberg, N. (2017). White trash: the 400-year untold history of class in America. Penguin Books.
    24. Jacobsen, W., Willis Taylor, A., & Prater, R. L. (2019). A language of healing for a polarized nation: Creating safe environments for conversations about race, politics, sexuality, and religion. Blue Sheep Media.
    25. Jeremy, S. (2020). Finding goldilocks: An antidote to polarization in personal change, relationships, and politics. Independently Published.
    26. La Raja, R. J., & Schaffner, B. F. (2015). Campaign Finance and political polarization: When purists prevail. University of Michigan Press.
    27. Lakoff, G. (2016). Moral politics: How liberals and conservatives think (3rd ed.). University Of Chicago Press.
    28. Ledesma, A. (2017). Diary of a reluctant dreamer : undocumented vignettes from a pre-American life. Columbus Mad Creek Books.
    29. Levin, J., & Nolan, J. (2011). The violence of hate : confronting racism, anti-semitism, and other forms of bigotry (3rd ed.). Pearson.
    30. Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2019). How democracies die. Crown.
    31. Luthar, S. S. (2003). Resilience and vulnerability : adaptation in the context of childhood adversities. Cambridge University Press.
    32. Marsh, J., Mendoza-Denton, R., & Smith, J. A. (2010). Are we born racist? : new insights from neuroscience and positive psychology. Beacon Press.
    33. Mason, L. (2018). Uncivil agreement: How politics became our identity. University Of Chicago Press.
    34. Masten, A. S. (2015). Ordinary magic : resilience in development. The Guilford Press.
    35. Miyashiro, M. R. (2011). The empathy factor : your competitive advantage for personal, team, and business success. Puddledancer Press.
    36. Morrow, E., & Scorgie-Porter, L. (2017). An analysis of Robert D. Putnam’s Bowling alone : the collapse and revival of American community. Routledge.
    37. Murthy, V. (2020). Together : Why Social Connection Holds the Key to Better Health, Higher Performance, and Greater Happiness. Harpercollins Publishers.
    38. Nivola, P. S., & Brady, D. W. (Eds.). (2008). Red and blue nation? : characteristics and causes of America’s polarized politics / 2 Consequences and corrections of America’s polarized politics. (Vol. 1). Brookings Institution Press.
    39. Rogers Berner, A. (2017). Pluralism and American public education: No one way to school. Palgrave Macmillan.
    40. Saito, L. T. (2009). The politics of exclusion : the failure of race-neutral policies in urban America. Stanford University Press.
    41. Sapolsky, R. (2018). Behave : the biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.
    42. Schirch, L., & Campt, D. W. (2007). The little book of dialogue for difficult subjects: a practical, hands-on guide. Good Books.
    43. Sides, J., & Hopkins, D. J. (2015). Political polarization in American politics. Bloomsbury Academic.
    44. Stringer, D. M., & Cassiday, P. A. (2009). 52 Activities For Improving Cross-Cultural Communication. Intercultural Press.
    45. Tirmizi, S. A., Unsicker, J., Khan, M., Solomon, M., & Williams, K. (2006). Leadership for social justice: Capacity-building resource manual: Vol. Paper 2. World Learning Publications. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/worldlearning_publications/2/
    46. Trier-Bieniek, A. M. (2018). The politics of gender. Brill.
    47. Uelmen, A., & Kessler, M. (2018). Five steps to healing polarization in the classroom : insights and examples. New City Press.
    48. Wegner, D. M., & Gray, K. (2017). Mind club: Who thinks, what feels, and why it matters. Penguin.
    49. Weisman, J. (2018). (((Semitism))) : being Jewish in America in the age of Trump. St. Martin’s Press.
    50. Wilkinson, R. G., & Pickett, K. (2009). The spirit level : why more equal societies almost always do better. Allen Lane.
    51. Zia, H. (2001). Asian American dreams : the emergence of an American people. Farrar, Straus, And Giroux.
    Cookie Use
    We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
    Learn More