Having curious conversations in divided times

Reactions to the FBI search for classified documents at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last week once again demonstrated how polarized our nation is. With partisan issues like abortion rights on the chopping block, ongoing false claims of voter fraud in 2020, and midterm elections around the corner, is it possible to have civil conversations with people who don’t share our views and opinions?

Author Mónica Guzmán (@moniguzman) believes it’s not just possible – it’s necessary. In her new book, I Never Thought of It That Way, she explains that Americans grossly exaggerate the political views of those who think differently than us, and these assumptions prevent us from understanding why people hold certain beliefs, leading to a culture of fear, hatred and blame. Guzman joins us to explain why getting curious and asking questions is what we need to begin tackling the crisis of our hyper-polarized nation.

We Recommend

The New York Times Can We Empathize With Our Enemies? One Author Wants Us to Try. “The book’s greatest offering, I think, is permission to reclaim people we might have dumped for ideological reasons; such connections won’t sully us but may in fact enrich us.”

Reader’s Digest How to Talk to People Even If You Disagree “If there’s one thing most people can agree on, it’s that the way we treat and talk to people with opposing views is broken. We can’t stomach the ideas from across the political divide, let alone the people who hold them.”