Defusing American Anger: A depolarization endeavor

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Many are overstating Americans' support for political violence — and it's frustrating
A talk with polarization researcher Sean Westwood
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Zachary Elwood
2

August 2024

Cynical interpretations of our adversaries' actions can amplify divides — and help our adversaries
Interpretations of Trump's "You won't have to vote anymore" statement
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Zachary Elwood
Making mistakes about our opponents' hostile intent
Excerpt from "Causes of War" by Levy and Thompson
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Zachary Elwood
3
Biden said he wanted to bring Americans together — why didn't he?
An op-ed on Biden's polarizing approaches, and what we can learn from that
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Zachary Elwood
Warlike "one side will win" framings of our divides
On Alito's recent controversial statement, and similar framings on the left
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Zachary Elwood

July 2024

To better understand polarized reactions to Trump's shooting, imagine Biden being shot
A "turnabout test" can help us see emotional biases in our thinking
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Zachary Elwood
3

June 2024

How our political animosity and contempt help create the very things that upset us
Extreme emotions lead to extreme beliefs (and extreme beliefs lead to extreme emotions)
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Zachary Elwood
Tips for writing and placing op-eds on depolarization and bridge-building
We need more op-eds that will influence the influencers
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Zachary Elwood
The complexity of American polarization
And why that complexity should make us question our certitude about the nature of our divides and our "enemies"
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Zachary Elwood
I got an op-ed published about Elon Musk's conflict-amplifying behaviors
We need to get better as a species at talking about conflict
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Zachary Elwood
Even when furious at the "other side," we must see the bigger picture of what's at stake for America
Conflict makes us increasingly agitated by the effects of conflict
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Zachary Elwood

May 2024

"They're the ones attacking democracy; not us!"
Trump's verdict reactions; and the importance of understanding the other side's narratives
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Zachary Elwood
© 2024 Zachary Elwood
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