A quick warning, there are curse words that are unbeaped in today's episode of the show.

If you prefer a beeped version, you can find that at our website, thisamericanlife.org.

Okay, this isn't news to anybody.

Our country is profoundly, cataclysmically divided, disagreeing about so many basic things.

The COVID vaccine was the last

election stolen, was January 6th, an insurrection, or as they called it on Tucker Carlson's show,

a grandma selfie party. It's two different visions of reality that seem doomed to never reconcile.

And maybe this is an inappropriate comparison, but somehow this comes to mind for me.

You know that thing in your personal life where you get into a serious fight with somebody

who you really care about? And they see it one way and you see it another way and you're not

seeing eye to eye. The best outcome, the thing you hope for is that by talking it through and really listening to each other and trying to sort it out, in the end, you'll either see it the same way, you'll have the same story, or this is almost as good.

You won't agree on what happened.

But at least you'll get where the other person's coming from and they'll get where you're coming from

and neither of you thinks the other's crazy or has ill intent

I just wish we could do that with our politics

I understand all the reasons why that's not happening

I understand how some people think

we're way beyond that it's impossible, counterproductive

just a bad idea

but just to say I wish We're way beyond that. It's impossible, counterproductive, just a bad idea.

But just to say, I wish. I think lots of us wish that.

Without that, and, you know, divided so evenly, nobody can predict the outcome of a presidential election.

...