I just wrote this on one of your notes; I meant to write it under the essay:
This is a great essay, Zachary.
In recent years, I’ve begun to slowly bring depolarization into both my teaching life (college humanities) and artistic work (mostly music and small film projects). It would be great if could start a movement for artists dedicated to the depolarization movement.
At this moment in time, there seem to be two hyper-partisan camps of artists in different artistic communities (theatre, film, music, authors, etc.) and a large segment of people who just keep silent.
Thank you, Steven. It means a lot. You might check out Bridge Entertainment Labs; they're focused on tv/film specifically but you might find the idea interesting. You might like this section from the end of my Defusing American Anger book (and also in How Contempt Destroys Democracy), regarding the role of art/artists:
EXCERPT:
If you’re a writer, artist, social media influencer, or other creator, you might look for ways to incorporate depolarization-aimed ideas in your work. Political messages in creative projects are often aimed at denigrating the other side in various ways. We have no shortage of that kind of thing. A lot of this art, even when it comes from a place of compassion, communicates a message that liberals are nice and wise and conservatives are backwards and mean. As such, much of this content is an accelerant of polarization.
Creative people are skilled at weaving dramatic and eloquent narratives about the “good” and “bad” people. In their desire to create art that contains moral lessons, they can be unintentional contributors to our divides. We should remember that just because something is eloquent and capable of arousing exciting emotions it isn’t necessarily true. We may see an artistic message as meaningful simply because it aligns with our biases and distorted views.
If you’re a creative person who wants to reduce toxic polarization, perhaps you can brainstorm projects that would include these ideas and have a cultural impact. I can imagine all sorts of novels, TV shows, movies, and online media projects that could incorporate these ideas in ways that would keep people entertained while communicating lessons about the nature of our divides.
For those aspiring to be artists, writers, and creators, maybe you can see how that desire doesn’t need to be about making the things we traditionally think of as art: paintings, fiction, movies, and such. Maybe that’s a limited view of what art is and can be. The underlying point of art, after all, is to communicate, to influence, and to change people’s perceptions. That can be done in many ways, including creating projects aimed at bridge-building, empathy-building, and reducing polarization.
Maybe part of our problem is that so much of our artistic energy, as a culture, is devoted to the more popular and ego-boosting forms of art rather than art that is difficult, that challenges us, that brings us together, and that tries to solve real-world problems. Perhaps we should try to expand our idea of what art is and can be.
If enough people start believing in and promoting these ideas, that will start a feedback cycle where influential people — journalists, politicians, pundits — start talking more about these ideas, which in turn will get other citizens talking about them. Polarization grows via a vicious feedback cycle and we can try to combat it with a virtuous feedback cycle.
I've added this quote from your book to an essay (and song/music video) I created that explores the theme of depolarization. The song is based on a quote by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Sounds like there's something brewing here. Congratulations on the book. I look forward to reading it.
So glad to see your thoughts on the creative role in all of this! I've been trying to make depolarization-based fiction a focus myself.
It's been a good experience for me learning to steelman perspectives I normally disagree with through my POV characters. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to write vivid characters who think differently from you is a standard part of learning the writing craft. I'm someone who personally wants to prioritize craft quality over the message I send, but it's nice to know that this kind of practice can be used for a bigger purpose, too.
Sharing these kinds of stories is scary. I know I'll probably stumble at some point. My biggest fear is not being able to discern the genuine feedback when I do from comments that come from a place of someone who was upset with my work because of their own personal stress/polarization.
I know it's impossible to avoid offending anyone. I'm not going to filter myself into walking on eggshells. But it's also possible that if I do offend someone, it's because I've done something that's genuinely... like, not a cool thing to do.
I hope I can succeed at writing a story to bridge divides, and I hope for patience when I don't quite hit the mark. Knowing I'm doing something good has helped me stop fixating on the bad in the world.
For what it's worth, I think you shouldn't worry too much about misstepping. Sure, it's always possible you'll make mistakes (or at least things you later think are mistakes). Some critics of yours will have points, of course. But the important part I think is not getting bogged down in self-doubt. Your intentions are good. Critics with good, generous hearts would see that, even if they might disagree with some decisions you've made. People who would judge you very harshly, who would denigrate you personally and try to make you feel bad, are, I think, part of the problem, and I don't think we should live in excessive fear of people who take ungenerous, worst-case views of what are clearly well-intended endeavors.
That's how I think of it, anyway; as I can definitely relate with my work to having a lot of anxiety in early days about what I've put out into the world, as these can be such sensitive/controversial topics. But I try to remind myself that us getting so judgmental of each other, and acting so intolerantly of people taking approaches we disagree with, is part of the problem. For example, when I've said things I thought were stupid on my podcast, or written things I thought might come across offensively to some people, I try to tell myself that in a better, healthier world, more of us would show each other grace and try to look for best intentions; that is what I try to do with people who I think are doing some things wrong; I try to look at their intentions, and that is what I think more people should do in general.
Well said. Unfortunately, it’s easier for people to create and believe fantastical stories about their supposed enemies than it is to try to understand them. And so the fringes continue to pull further to the left and right, getting more radical by the day.
That said, I also believe stories, when done well, can be the antidote to this division — demonstrating that we’re all an amalgam of good and bad, and we’re all human. Those are the stories I’m trying to tell, anyways. I actually just published an article that relates to this topic; it’s about Steinbeck’s involvement in the Allies’ propaganda effort during WWII through the book “The Moon Is Down" (see below).
for instance, when national guard from Texas is deployed to Chicago, it would be tempting to tell the story of civil war,
but if you look closely, it's just fighting crime! we have to listen to diverse perspectives if we're to be deceived by the fascism into fully informed inaction
As usual, Zach, much of what you share here, when carefully considered, makes a lot of sense.
As someone who was very uninvolved in politics before 2015/16, with the entry of Donald Trump onto the stage my attention was commanded. Watching him "learn the ropes" was excruciating at times, especially with his unbelievably ugly treatment of his challengers. I have encountered very few people in my life who I have felt were despicable human beings, but what I saw as immature and mean behavior from a man vying for President of The United States was extremely upsetting and concerning to me. He was easy to dislike and I made sure that my grandchildren were made aware that the type of behavior he was displaying was NOT acceptable (regardless of any excuse one might make).
I watched, talked to family and friends, contemplated what I was seeing with the players involved and took very seriously my right to vote and who the lesser of the two evils would be. Still somewhat shocked and bewildered by his mean-spirited actions, I began to pray more, continue gathering opinions and having heartfelt conversations with those in my family who were (unemotional) Trump Supporters. "Policy, policy, policy" over "Personality" was what finally brought me to vote for Trump with deep trepidation (since my Italian roots disallow me from escaping "Emotion" all together. 🇮🇹 😓).
I saw things during his first term that still disappointed me, but I had never seen (or maybe it was an issue of "attention" on my part) a leader who was as committed to carrying out his Leadership Role in the way he was with confidence and disregard for all the neigh sayers I spent more time observing than anything. He was our Leader and he had a job to do which was on full display for four years.
In the meantime... I was becoming more entrenched in "learning" about the world of politics, especially Partisan politics. Whereas Trump and the other candidates were on full display before the Election, now the whole of America was on display with their discontent and reactions. Even I, as someone who did not like Trump, was taken aback by the vitriolic reactions of those on the Left.
Three of my dearest friends were adverse to Trump and that soon turned into "hatred" and cause for abandoning friendship with me. It was truly confounding and deeply hurtful to have friends with whom I had shared 25+ and 50 years of committed friendship with to turn their backs on me, especially over "politics"⁉️ After the past several years of working through this deeply hurtful abandonment, I did find a silver lining in the fact that none of the three were "vitriolic or cruel" which was something that was on full display from those on the left.
At one point, I actually agreed, at the request of one of these dear friends, to consider voting for Joe Biden. I've never been one to appreciate "labels" and, although typically a conservative voter, would always vote my "conscience" regardless of "party". So, I spent the run up to the next Presidential Election observing both sides over many months. I already had a taste of Democrat behavior while Trump was in Office, but watching as the stakes grew higher said a lot to me about attitude and strategy on the Left.
After careful consideration and soul searching, I found myself unable to escape the "mob mentality" on the Left. There were so many things that came clear to me as I thoughtfully observed their attitudes and actions, ultimately leading me to knowing that I could not, in good conscience, vote for what I saw as people who were true "haters"(although they continually accused the Right of being "intolerant" and "uncompassionate").
As someone who, as I stated earlier, was very uninterested and uninvolved in politics (mainly due to what I saw as an environment of manipulation, dishonesty and game-playing), I felt like an unbiased observer beginning in 2015/16 because I had not been previously entrenched. I didn't have preconceived ideas about either Party, due to my ignorance.
One thing that I have concluded, after serious and unbiased consideration (as much as is humanly possible), is that the DEMS are the ones who INITIATED Divisions between Family, Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Workers and Associates. ( I'm sorry to say that many Republicans chose to follow suite, which I find very unfortunate. As they say, "Hurt people hurt people". ) The DEMS even demonstrated, as a group, on National TV, during Trumps Address to Congress and the Nation how to do it. Not one reaction from that side of the aisle for ANYONE (let alone Trump).
That brings me to a CRITICAL element which seems to be the GREATEST reason for some of our deep Division and that we could BENEFIT GREATLY from: TRUTH and how people define this. That's a whole Topic onto itself for a "Post" or "Comment"!
I just wrote this on one of your notes; I meant to write it under the essay:
This is a great essay, Zachary.
In recent years, I’ve begun to slowly bring depolarization into both my teaching life (college humanities) and artistic work (mostly music and small film projects). It would be great if could start a movement for artists dedicated to the depolarization movement.
At this moment in time, there seem to be two hyper-partisan camps of artists in different artistic communities (theatre, film, music, authors, etc.) and a large segment of people who just keep silent.
I hope others will heed your call.
Thank you, Steven. It means a lot. You might check out Bridge Entertainment Labs; they're focused on tv/film specifically but you might find the idea interesting. You might like this section from the end of my Defusing American Anger book (and also in How Contempt Destroys Democracy), regarding the role of art/artists:
EXCERPT:
If you’re a writer, artist, social media influencer, or other creator, you might look for ways to incorporate depolarization-aimed ideas in your work. Political messages in creative projects are often aimed at denigrating the other side in various ways. We have no shortage of that kind of thing. A lot of this art, even when it comes from a place of compassion, communicates a message that liberals are nice and wise and conservatives are backwards and mean. As such, much of this content is an accelerant of polarization.
Creative people are skilled at weaving dramatic and eloquent narratives about the “good” and “bad” people. In their desire to create art that contains moral lessons, they can be unintentional contributors to our divides. We should remember that just because something is eloquent and capable of arousing exciting emotions it isn’t necessarily true. We may see an artistic message as meaningful simply because it aligns with our biases and distorted views.
If you’re a creative person who wants to reduce toxic polarization, perhaps you can brainstorm projects that would include these ideas and have a cultural impact. I can imagine all sorts of novels, TV shows, movies, and online media projects that could incorporate these ideas in ways that would keep people entertained while communicating lessons about the nature of our divides.
For those aspiring to be artists, writers, and creators, maybe you can see how that desire doesn’t need to be about making the things we traditionally think of as art: paintings, fiction, movies, and such. Maybe that’s a limited view of what art is and can be. The underlying point of art, after all, is to communicate, to influence, and to change people’s perceptions. That can be done in many ways, including creating projects aimed at bridge-building, empathy-building, and reducing polarization.
Maybe part of our problem is that so much of our artistic energy, as a culture, is devoted to the more popular and ego-boosting forms of art rather than art that is difficult, that challenges us, that brings us together, and that tries to solve real-world problems. Perhaps we should try to expand our idea of what art is and can be.
If enough people start believing in and promoting these ideas, that will start a feedback cycle where influential people — journalists, politicians, pundits — start talking more about these ideas, which in turn will get other citizens talking about them. Polarization grows via a vicious feedback cycle and we can try to combat it with a virtuous feedback cycle.
Excellent! Most excellent!
I've added this quote from your book to an essay (and song/music video) I created that explores the theme of depolarization. The song is based on a quote by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." Sounds like there's something brewing here. Congratulations on the book. I look forward to reading it.
https://groundexperience.substack.com/p/depolarization-the-gospel-of-longfellow
Count me in on that! I’ve centered my recent writing work on themes of depolarization. ^_^
So glad to see your thoughts on the creative role in all of this! I've been trying to make depolarization-based fiction a focus myself.
It's been a good experience for me learning to steelman perspectives I normally disagree with through my POV characters. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to write vivid characters who think differently from you is a standard part of learning the writing craft. I'm someone who personally wants to prioritize craft quality over the message I send, but it's nice to know that this kind of practice can be used for a bigger purpose, too.
Sharing these kinds of stories is scary. I know I'll probably stumble at some point. My biggest fear is not being able to discern the genuine feedback when I do from comments that come from a place of someone who was upset with my work because of their own personal stress/polarization.
I know it's impossible to avoid offending anyone. I'm not going to filter myself into walking on eggshells. But it's also possible that if I do offend someone, it's because I've done something that's genuinely... like, not a cool thing to do.
I hope I can succeed at writing a story to bridge divides, and I hope for patience when I don't quite hit the mark. Knowing I'm doing something good has helped me stop fixating on the bad in the world.
For what it's worth, I think you shouldn't worry too much about misstepping. Sure, it's always possible you'll make mistakes (or at least things you later think are mistakes). Some critics of yours will have points, of course. But the important part I think is not getting bogged down in self-doubt. Your intentions are good. Critics with good, generous hearts would see that, even if they might disagree with some decisions you've made. People who would judge you very harshly, who would denigrate you personally and try to make you feel bad, are, I think, part of the problem, and I don't think we should live in excessive fear of people who take ungenerous, worst-case views of what are clearly well-intended endeavors.
That's how I think of it, anyway; as I can definitely relate with my work to having a lot of anxiety in early days about what I've put out into the world, as these can be such sensitive/controversial topics. But I try to remind myself that us getting so judgmental of each other, and acting so intolerantly of people taking approaches we disagree with, is part of the problem. For example, when I've said things I thought were stupid on my podcast, or written things I thought might come across offensively to some people, I try to tell myself that in a better, healthier world, more of us would show each other grace and try to look for best intentions; that is what I try to do with people who I think are doing some things wrong; I try to look at their intentions, and that is what I think more people should do in general.
Well said. Unfortunately, it’s easier for people to create and believe fantastical stories about their supposed enemies than it is to try to understand them. And so the fringes continue to pull further to the left and right, getting more radical by the day.
That said, I also believe stories, when done well, can be the antidote to this division — demonstrating that we’re all an amalgam of good and bad, and we’re all human. Those are the stories I’m trying to tell, anyways. I actually just published an article that relates to this topic; it’s about Steinbeck’s involvement in the Allies’ propaganda effort during WWII through the book “The Moon Is Down" (see below).
https://spiritandsword.substack.com/p/your-enemies-are-human-too
Totally agree. Thanks for writing, Alex.
for instance, when national guard from Texas is deployed to Chicago, it would be tempting to tell the story of civil war,
but if you look closely, it's just fighting crime! we have to listen to diverse perspectives if we're to be deceived by the fascism into fully informed inaction
As usual, Zach, much of what you share here, when carefully considered, makes a lot of sense.
As someone who was very uninvolved in politics before 2015/16, with the entry of Donald Trump onto the stage my attention was commanded. Watching him "learn the ropes" was excruciating at times, especially with his unbelievably ugly treatment of his challengers. I have encountered very few people in my life who I have felt were despicable human beings, but what I saw as immature and mean behavior from a man vying for President of The United States was extremely upsetting and concerning to me. He was easy to dislike and I made sure that my grandchildren were made aware that the type of behavior he was displaying was NOT acceptable (regardless of any excuse one might make).
I watched, talked to family and friends, contemplated what I was seeing with the players involved and took very seriously my right to vote and who the lesser of the two evils would be. Still somewhat shocked and bewildered by his mean-spirited actions, I began to pray more, continue gathering opinions and having heartfelt conversations with those in my family who were (unemotional) Trump Supporters. "Policy, policy, policy" over "Personality" was what finally brought me to vote for Trump with deep trepidation (since my Italian roots disallow me from escaping "Emotion" all together. 🇮🇹 😓).
I saw things during his first term that still disappointed me, but I had never seen (or maybe it was an issue of "attention" on my part) a leader who was as committed to carrying out his Leadership Role in the way he was with confidence and disregard for all the neigh sayers I spent more time observing than anything. He was our Leader and he had a job to do which was on full display for four years.
In the meantime... I was becoming more entrenched in "learning" about the world of politics, especially Partisan politics. Whereas Trump and the other candidates were on full display before the Election, now the whole of America was on display with their discontent and reactions. Even I, as someone who did not like Trump, was taken aback by the vitriolic reactions of those on the Left.
Three of my dearest friends were adverse to Trump and that soon turned into "hatred" and cause for abandoning friendship with me. It was truly confounding and deeply hurtful to have friends with whom I had shared 25+ and 50 years of committed friendship with to turn their backs on me, especially over "politics"⁉️ After the past several years of working through this deeply hurtful abandonment, I did find a silver lining in the fact that none of the three were "vitriolic or cruel" which was something that was on full display from those on the left.
At one point, I actually agreed, at the request of one of these dear friends, to consider voting for Joe Biden. I've never been one to appreciate "labels" and, although typically a conservative voter, would always vote my "conscience" regardless of "party". So, I spent the run up to the next Presidential Election observing both sides over many months. I already had a taste of Democrat behavior while Trump was in Office, but watching as the stakes grew higher said a lot to me about attitude and strategy on the Left.
After careful consideration and soul searching, I found myself unable to escape the "mob mentality" on the Left. There were so many things that came clear to me as I thoughtfully observed their attitudes and actions, ultimately leading me to knowing that I could not, in good conscience, vote for what I saw as people who were true "haters"(although they continually accused the Right of being "intolerant" and "uncompassionate").
As someone who, as I stated earlier, was very uninterested and uninvolved in politics (mainly due to what I saw as an environment of manipulation, dishonesty and game-playing), I felt like an unbiased observer beginning in 2015/16 because I had not been previously entrenched. I didn't have preconceived ideas about either Party, due to my ignorance.
One thing that I have concluded, after serious and unbiased consideration (as much as is humanly possible), is that the DEMS are the ones who INITIATED Divisions between Family, Friends, Neighbors, Fellow Workers and Associates. ( I'm sorry to say that many Republicans chose to follow suite, which I find very unfortunate. As they say, "Hurt people hurt people". ) The DEMS even demonstrated, as a group, on National TV, during Trumps Address to Congress and the Nation how to do it. Not one reaction from that side of the aisle for ANYONE (let alone Trump).
That brings me to a CRITICAL element which seems to be the GREATEST reason for some of our deep Division and that we could BENEFIT GREATLY from: TRUTH and how people define this. That's a whole Topic onto itself for a "Post" or "Comment"!