The holidays are around the corner. A time for families to come together and, more and more, to come apart.
As the nation fractures politically, so do our households, neighborhoods, and communities. For the majority of Americans who still believe in liberal democracy, in the idea that humans are created equal, and in fact-based reality, talking to those we care about on the other side can feel hopeless. Is there any point trying to reach these people? Is changing minds that don’t want to change a lost cause?
It isn’t.
A few years ago, as I felt myself succumbing to the same fatalism afflicting so many Americans, I set out to report a book on people swimming against the tide, refusing to write their fellow citizens off, pursuing persuasion in a time of polarization. I came upon a group of educators, activists, elected leaders, scientists, cult deprogrammers, messaging experts, and, above all, organizers, who I believe show a way forward even when things can feel so perilous and bleak.
Though their projects differ, what this group shared was an approach to changing minds in the face of rampant disinformation; social media platforms that reward dunking and hate
