Outrage Science Bites

Day 10 of our 30-day NaPodPoMo challenge. Hard to believe we’re already a third of the way through our exploration of bridging our divides.

So far, we’ve talked about what bridging means, how to move from talk to action, and how to navigate disagreements and disinformation. But most of our bridging conversations still assume the problem is red versus blue.

Here’s the thing: America’s political landscape is much more complex than just two colors. A growing number of people identify as independent, libertarian, green, socialist, or something else entirely.

That brings us to today’s question:

Many initiatives use a red-blue binary. With more people identifying outside those two parties, do we risk alienating them?

To help us think this through, we’ll hear again from Carissa Raskin from Listen First, who offers insight into how we can make the bridging movement more inclusive—of everyone.

Because if we want to build bridges across divides, we have to make sure no one feels left out of the conversation.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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Day nine of our 30-day NaPodPoMo challenge, exploring how we bridge our divides.

We’ve talked about everything from what bridging is to how to stay grounded when conversations feel unsafe. But there’s another major obstacle we all face: disinformation.

When someone believes something false, and you challenge it, they often don’t hear it as a disagreement about facts — they hear it as a personal attack. The walls go up, and the divide deepens.

So how do we handle that? How do we correct falsehoods without alienating the people we care about — or pushing them further into misinformation bubbles?

That’s today’s question:

What are ways to address disinformation without alienating those who value their own “facts”?

Joining us to unpack this is Kamy Akhavan, former CEO of ProCon.org, America’s leading source of nonpartisan research on controversial issues. With more than two decades of experience building understanding across divides, Kamy shares science-backed strategies for helping people look past the noise and toward the truth — together.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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Day eight of our 30-episode NaPodPoMo challenge exploring how we bridge divides.

Some divides aren’t just uncomfortable — they feel personal. When someone’s beliefs seem to threaten your safety, identity, or livelihood, it’s not just hard to talk — it can feel impossible.

That’s the question we’re exploring today:

How can we bridge divides when another’s beliefs feel like a direct threat to your life or livelihood?

To help us unpack this, we hear from Dr. Tania Israel, professor of counseling psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and award-winning author of Beyond Your Bubble and Facing the Fracture.

Dr. Israel offers a compassionate, practical lens on what bridging looks like when emotions are raw, identities are at stake, and safety feels uncertain — and how empathy doesn’t have to mean surrendering your boundaries or beliefs.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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Day seven of our 30-day NaPodPoMo journey exploring how we bridge divides.

Earlier in this series, we heard from Carissa Raskin of Listen First about moving bridging work from talk to action. Today, we’re revisiting that same challenge — but through a new lens.

This time, we hear from Kira Hamman of Urban Rural Action, an organization that connects people across geographic, cultural, and political divides to tackle real community problems together.

Because bridging isn’t one-size-fits-all — and sometimes, the key to progress is finding shared goals that matter deeply, even when we don’t agree on everything else.

This is Day 7 of our month-long series answering real questions from real people about bridging divides — one bite at a time.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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Day six of our NaPodPoMo challenge — 30 episodes in 30 days on bridging our divides.

So far, we’ve talked about what bridging is, where it happens, and how to move from talk to action. But today, we’re taking on a tougher question:Can we have real, honest debate without everyone having to move to the middle?

Do we need to be more moderate to get along — or can people with strong convictions still have productive, respectful conversations?

To help us explore that, today’s guest is Melanie Trecek-King, founder of Thinking Is Power. Melanie helps people sharpen their critical thinking and navigate disagreements with curiosity instead of combat — and without watering down what they believe.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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The NaPodPoMo 2025 challenge — 30 episodes in 30 days — exploring how we can bridge our divides.

Yesterday, we talked about moving from talk to action.

Today, we’re asking:

Where does dialogue happen best, and how can we create more of those spaces?

To explore this, we turn to Kira Hamman of Urban Rural Action, a group that brings people together from different backgrounds, geographies, and worldviews to find common ground and solve real problems — together.

This is Day 5 of a month-long journey answering real questions from real people about bridging divides — questions gathered at the Bridging Movement Summit from people across the country.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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NaPodPoMo 2025 — 30 episodes in 30 days — all focused on bridging our divides.

So far, we’ve explored:

* What bridging actually is,

* Why outrage gets rewarded, and

* How shared vision can bring communities together.

Now, we take the next step: moving from talk to action.

Today’s question comes from a participant at the Bridging Movement Summit:

Many are open to dialogue across divides, but shared action is harder. What helps bridging work move from talk to action?

To answer, we hear from Karissa Raskin of the Listen First Project, who shares insights on what it takes to turn understanding into collaboration — and conversation into real-world impact.

This is Day 4 of a month-long journey answering real questions from real people about bridging divides.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

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NaPodPoMo 2025 — 30 episodes in 30 days — exploring how we move from conflict to connection.

Today’s question comes from a participant at the Bridging Movement Summit:

Where have you seen community-wide visioning or collective meaning-making help cultivate shared goals and a long-term outlook?

To explore this, we turn to Matthew Cotton Jr., Race Discourse Officer at the Baha’i Office of Public Affairs (U.S.), who brings thoughtful, grounded insights on how communities create shared meaning across differences — and how that helps bridge divides in practice, not just in theory.

This is Day 3 of our month-long series answering real questions from real people about bridging divides — one bite at a time.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

Join the movement to lower the temperature: Count Me In for Calm

Day 2 of the NaPodPoMo 2025 challenge — 30 episodes in 30 days — exploring how we bridge our divides.

Yesterday, we started with the basics: What is bridging?Today, we take on one of the biggest obstacles to it.

In a world where outrage pays, being loud, extreme, or polarizing gets you clicks, followers, and attention. So if that’s the incentive structure, how can we possibly expect people to build bridges instead of walls?

That’s the question we explore today — from a real participant at the Bridging Movement Summit:

We are incentivized to be outrageous — that’s how you get influence and attention. How do we make the incentives point toward bridge building?

We turn to Dr. Paul Resnick, a leading researcher on online behavior and algorithms, for insight into how we might shift incentives toward connection rather than division.

🎙️ Featuring:

* Dr. Paul Resnick, University of Michigan School of Information — on designing healthier digital systems and reducing online outrage incentives.

This is Day 2 of a month-long journey answering real questions from real people about what it takes to bridge our divides — one expert, one question, one bite at a time.

We kick off NaPodPoMo 2025 — 30 episodes in 30 days — with a simple question that’s not so simple after all:

👉 What even is bridging?

Featuring insights from:

* Heidi Burgess (Beyond Intractability) — on what “bridging” really means.

* Karissa Raskin (Listen First Project) — on what kinds of divides we’re trying to bridge.

This is Day 1 of a month-long journey where we’ll be having experts answer real questions from real people about how to bridge our divides — questions gathered at the Bridging Movement Summit from people across the country.

Learn more: OutrageOverload.net

Join the movement to lower the temperature: Count Me In for Calm