Depolarizing America: Ending Toxic Polarization. Peter Coleman

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

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5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2024

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Soon after Joe Biden became president he said in his inaugural address that wanted to bring Americans together, to forge unity. But maybe unity isn’t what we should aim for. Our guest this week says instead of focusing on that elusive goal, Americans need to concentrate on what’s damaging all of us: toxic polarization. In this episode we look at what toxic polarization is, how it got worse in recent decades, and how to end it, person-by-person. We learn about the role played by Common Ground Committee and other groups— local and national— in the bridging community. Peter Coleman has advised the Biden administration on how to detoxify America. He is a well-known mediator and psychologist who specializes in conflict resolution. A professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, he is the author of the book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.

Transcript

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0:00.0	America is stuck in a culture of contempt.
0:04.0	This country is deeply divided and on a bleak precipice.
0:09.0	Those are the words of Professor Peter Coleman,
0:12.0	a highly respected expert on how to end long-term strife and bitter
0:15.7	clashes.
0:16.7	He researches in trench conflicts overseas and now in the United States.
0:22.6	We hear from him about toxic polarization and how to turn the temperature down.
0:28.8	There are people in your community that are having conversations across these divides that are constructive and helpful,
0:34.0	and then are then moving on to mobilize and do active things that will change your community,
0:39.0	find them, join them, because simply knowing that change is possible will help. This is let's find common ground. I'm Ashley Milntight. I'm Richard Davies.
1:07.0	In this episode we look at the science of polarization, how we got here, and why so many of us are exhausted by politics and
1:14.8	would have shut out the noise. For many there's a sense of dread about the
1:18.8	2024 presidential campaign. We're about to hear the ideas of Peter Coleman, who we first spoke with three years ago.
1:27.0	He has a resume that's a yard long.
1:30.0	He's a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University and director of the Morton
1:35.9	Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.
1:40.8	And Peter Coleman's most recent book is called The Way Out, How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.
1:47.0	He advised the Biden administration on ways to help bring people together.
1:52.0	Ashley, you ask the first question.
1:56.0	Peter, you use this term toxic polarization.
1:59.6	What is it?
2:00.6	In politics, there is a tendency for us to sort of prefer to gather with people that are similar to us or be repulsed by or move away from those that are different from us.
	...

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