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Let's Find Common Ground

Year-End Show: Conflict, Patriotism and Creative Ways to Find Common Ground

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

News, Trump, Opinion, Usc, California, Polls, Debates, Strategists, University, Education, Government, Universitysoutherncalifornia, America, Presidential, Dornsife, Bipartisanship, School, Democrat, Primaries, Elections, Shrum, Primary, News Commentary, Republican, Analysis, General, Polarization, International, Journalists, Federal, Commentary, Election, National, Conversation, Race, Centerpoliticalfuture, Conversations, Murphy, Moderator, Political, Coverage, Biden, Podcast, Politics

52.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 December 2023

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Our final podcast for 2023 is the one-hundredth episode of “Let’s Find Common Ground”. We look back and include special moments from six shows during the year. Americans disagree on many things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Journalist and author Amanda Ripley explains why, all too often, we see conflicts that are more about scoring points than seeking resolution. Rachel Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment, who studies democracy and conflict, discusses whether America’s divides could be spinning out of control. Author and Washington Post columnist Ted Johnson examines race and patriotism in creative, thoughtful ways. In this episode, we also share several extraordinary moments in our conversation with two women on opposite sides of the abortion debate, and how they gained respect and understanding for each other without compromising their views on one of the most contentious issues of our time. Two faith leaders joined us to discuss religion's role in finding common ground. And acclaimed television journalist Judy Woodruff of the PBS NewsHour gives us a vivid example of how Washington DC is much more divided than it once was.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is our year-end show.

0:02.0

And it's also our 100th episode.

0:05.0

So we're going to look back and share some of the most moving moments of 2023,

0:10.0

including stories about conflict and creative ways to engage with passionate disagreements.

0:16.0

As well as race, faith and friendship.

0:20.0

This is Let's Find Common Ground.

0:22.0

I'm Richard Davies.

0:24.0

And I'm Ashley Melntite.

0:30.0

Music

0:41.0

We begin with conflict.

0:43.0

Amanda Ripley is a journalist and author of the book High Conflict.

0:48.0

Why we get trapped and how we get out.

0:51.0

She says it's not that we have too much conflict in our society.

0:55.0

It's that we get sucked in to the wrong type of conflict.

0:59.0

I feel like having spent a few years now following people who've been immersed in conflict,

1:05.0

who study conflict, who themselves have been stuck in conflict.

1:09.0

I am increasingly convinced that the problem is not conflict.

1:13.0

That we need conflict.

1:15.0

We probably need more conflict.

1:18.0

But the kind of conflict really matters.

1:21.0

So the kind of conflict we've been stuck in tends to be conflict for conflict's sake.

1:26.0

It's counterproductive, it poisons relationships, it shuts down useful friction.

...

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