COVID may be behind us, but many of the frustrations, myths, and political divides it created are still quietly shaping our social and civic landscape. This bonus episode revisits a conversation originally recorded for Outrage Science Bites—now brought to the main feed because its insights remain deeply relevant.

We take a calm, evidence-based look at what actually happened during the U.S. pandemic response, drawing on findings from The Lessons from the COVID War, one of the most comprehensive investigations into COVID policy and outcomes.

This episode isn’t about relitigating COVID. It’s about lowering the temperature, softening hardened narratives, and bringing clarity to a moment shaped by outrage and confusion.

About this replay:
Originally produced for Outrage Science Bites during the NaPodPoMo challenge. Repurposed here because the themes remain essential to understanding polarization today.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

While outrage and division dominate the headlines, quiet collaborators in Congress are actually getting things done — you just never hear about them.

In this episode, David Beckemeyer talks with Brad Porteus, founder of Bridge Grades, a data-driven “report card for Congress” that measures who’s building bridges — and who’s tearing them down.

Together, they explore how citizens can shift the incentives in Washington by rewarding collaboration over confrontation.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

When AI Starts Shaping What We Believe

We often blame social media algorithms for toxic polarization — for the outrage, the misinformation, the “us versus them” dynamic pulling society apart. But what if the real problem goes deeper than the algorithm?

In this episode, University of Amsterdam researcher Petter Törnberg explains why social media is broken by design — and why simply “fixing the feed” won’t solve outrage or polarization.

And now, a new technology is arriving that could reshape politics and public opinion even more profoundly than the platforms that came before:

AI systems that can influence our beliefs without us noticing.

This conversation will change the way you think about the future of media, power, and what autonomy means in a world where technology shapes how we see reality.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

Most Americans are tired of the outrage — and hungry for something better. So how do we unite America when everything feels so divided?

In this episode, we talk with Adam Mizel, co-founder and CEO of US United, a movement focused on ending toxic polarization through everyday actions anyone can take. After traveling the country in a purple pickup truck, Adam found that people from all backgrounds want the same things: respect, listening, and real connection.

We explore political depolarization solutions, the media outrage problem, and simple ways to build unity in communities — starting within five miles of where you live. If you’ve ever wondered how to heal a divided America without giving up your values, this episode offers stories, strategies, and hope.

We also talk about National Unity Day USA — now officially recognized on the National Day Calendar — and how each of us can join a growing movement for positive change.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

Why We Disagree About What Matters

We often assume political polarization is about beliefs or party loyalty—but what if it’s about which issues we think are worth caring about?

In this episode, behavioral scientists Adrienne Kafka (Duke University) and Troy Campbell (On Your Feet, formerly Disney Imagineering and Netflix) unpack their research on issue salience polarization—how our sense of an issue’s importance changes depending on the solutions attached to it.

They explain how “solution aversion” and “solution attraction” make people minimize or exaggerate problems based on their preferred policies, and why partisans often agree on an issue’s seriousness until political solutions enter the picture.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

Digital Overwhelm: Talking Across Generations

In a world that never stops pinging, how do we stay human—and stay connected across generations?

Host David Beckemeyer talks with communication scholar Craig Mattson, author of Digital Overwhelm, about what happens when Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z all try to navigate the same flood of digital noise.

From “data vs story” to “sender vs listener,” this conversation explores why we’re all drowning in information, why younger workers seem more pragmatic than passionate, and how switching our modes of communication can build real understanding.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

Why People Stop Trusting Science

Why do so many people reject science—even when the facts are clear?
We are joined by Hillary Shulman, a communication scholar at Ohio State University, to learn about science populism—the growing belief that science is an elite enterprise disconnected from everyday life.

They explore how distrust of experts, polarization and science, and skepticism and belief shape public understanding. Shulman explains why facts alone don’t persuade, how both liberals and conservatives can fall into science populism, and what it takes to rebuild trust in scientific institutions.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

When the Center Becomes the Rebel

Once, being radical meant picking a side—Rush Limbaugh on the right, Keith Olbermann on the left. But today, that kind of partisanship isn’t radical anymore—it’s predictable.

In this episode, we explore a surprising idea: maybe the true radicals now are the independent thinkers—the bridge-builders—who refuse to be boxed into red or blue.

Our guest, Lura Forcum, President of The Independent Center, shares how her organization is empowering independent voters, holding politicians accountable, and helping the politically homeless find a voice.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

We take a closer look at the online world known as the manosphere—a loose network of communities including incels, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), men’s rights activists (MRAs), and pick-up artists (PUAs).

These groups may look different on the surface, but they share a common core: resentment toward feminism, nostalgia for traditional masculinity, and a belief that men are the new victims of modern society. With guidance from researcher Havana Mohr-Ramirez, we unpack how these subcultures operate, where they overlap, and why they’ve become such powerful forces in shaping how young men see themselves and their place in the world.

Drawing on insights from Laura Bates, author of Men Who Hate Women, and sociologist Ellis Cashmore, the episode examines whether the manosphere is an organized movement or something more elusive that still influences real attitudes, politics, and violence.

This documentary episode goes beyond headlines and outrage to ask deeper questions about identity, belonging, and what happens when online spaces built around grievance start reshaping the world outside the screen.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.

Why Talking Isn’t Enough to Bridge Divides

What happens when people in deeply divided communities set aside differences to work on real problems together? In this episode, we hear from participants in Southern Oregon and from Urban Rural Action’s Senior Director of Programs about how building trust and taking action can bridge divides, create belonging, and spark lasting change.

Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

Support the show

Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/

Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.