Outrage Overload, Episode 58

Title: The Truth Behind Political Division: Are We Really That Different?
Guest: James Coan (Co-founder and Executive Director, More Like Us)
Host: David Beckemeyer
Date: February 19, 2025
Duration: ~30 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode explores the root causes and realities of political division in the US, focusing on the power of misperceptions. Host David Beckemeyer interviews James Coan of “More Like Us,” an initiative that aims to correct exaggerated or false beliefs people hold about those on the other side of the political spectrum. The discussion breaks down why we aren’t as polarized as media narratives suggest, how media and social incentives fuel division, and outlines Coan’s innovative, scalable solutions to build trust and bridge divides—without relying solely on dialogue or direct conversations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of Radical Difference: Misperceptions & the Perception Gap

• Misperceptions Drive Division: Coan argues that much of today's toxic polarization stems from exaggerated beliefs about the other side's extremity and threat.
  • “These misperceptions tend to be skewed in one direction, thinking that they're more extreme, more threatening... But there was no organization that was directly trying to correct them.” – James Coan [04:02]
• Symmetry in Misperceptions: Survey data shows that Republicans and Democrats tend to misunderstand each other to a similar degree.
  • “There's incredible symmetry... it's hard to say that one side is more distorted than another.” – James Coan [11:04]
• Perception vs. Reality: Research from groups like More in Common shows that actual differences are often smaller than assumed, but media and social platforms amplify the gap.

2. Why Most Solutions Don’t Scale—And Why That Matters

• Traditional efforts—like Braver Angels—center on dialogue and workshops, but these methods have limited reach.
  • “It can be difficult to try to scale conversations... there was no organization that was directly trying to correct them.” – James Coan [03:38]
• Coan’s focus: Changing the content environment at scale so more people are exposed to accurate information about the other side.

3. Innovative, Scalable Solutions from ‘More Like Us’

Coan details three main initiatives:

• a. Social Media & Content Creation:
  • Partnering with “Left, Middle Right” (social media group with 100,000+ followers); using the mnemonic CAST (Complex, Admirable, Similar, Togetherness) for content that humanizes political ‘others’.
    • “Casting the other side in a better light shows... more complex, admirable, similar, worthy of togetherness...” [08:31]
• b. Similarity Hub:
  • A data repository (~similarityhub.org~) aggregating hundreds of examples demonstrating common ground on hot-button issues.
    • “We have hundreds of examples, at least 20 topics, all the hot button ones you can imagine...” [05:57]
  • Integrating these insights into journalistic outlets and civic curricula to subtly combat misperceptions.
• c. Educational Initiatives:
  • Lesson plans for both students and adults, aiming for long-term shifts by integrating into institutions and curricula.
    • “There's a whole network... to expand in that domain. But it is true that this is relatively early stage...” [09:04]
• All three approaches aim to shift perceptions passively, meeting people where they already are.

4. Challenges: Early Stages, Perverse Incentives, and ‘Both Sidesism’

• Media Incentives: The profit model of news, algorithms of social platforms, and adversarial politics all reward demonizing the ‘other.’
  • “If one can get rich or famous by demeaning the other side, some people are going to do it.” – James Coan [12:08]
• Rubber Band Effect: Exposure to corrective information can be fleeting; audiences revert to their media bubbles.
  • “It's like a never-ending effort to kind of counter that narrative all the time.” – David Beckemeyer [12:36]
• ‘Both Sidesism’ Critique:
  • Coan emphasizes that More Like Us focuses on ordinary Americans—not political elites. The misperceptions they address are, empirically, symmetrical.
  • “You can simultaneously believe the other side's worse... while not always framing everything in the worst possible light.” – David Beckemeyer [10:40]

5. Root Causes—Are Misperceptions Cause or Effect?

• Misperceptions are Largely an Effect: Coan points to historical shifts (ideological sorting, loss of moderate factions, new communication tech, gerrymandering) as facilitating factors.
  • “In general, I would say it's more of an effect. But... fixing the root cause will not magically lead to all the solutions that we seek.” – James Coan [13:11]
• Changing incentives could help, but “just gets us to neutral”—proactive efforts are needed to build trust.

6. The Hidden Truth About Political Identity

• Identity Not as Salient as It Seems:

  • Few Americans list politics as a core identity; prominence online is due to a vocal, unrepresentative minority.
    • “The data that I'm familiar with is that there aren't that many people actually that, that put politics as like the top identity...” – James Coan [17:40]

• Misperceptions of Identity Influence Perceptions of Polarization.

7. Making Civil Discourse Go Viral

• Positive emotions (surprise, hope) can also spread; not just outrage.
  • “In theory, it could also be surprise, love, hope. There's other kinds of emotions.” – James Coan [20:36]
• The goal: “Add trust and subtract factors that tend to diminish trust.” [21:09]
• Reducing the “overblown sense of fear, threat, and cognitive and moral inferiority” of the opposing side.

8. Practical Tools and What Listeners Can Do

• Concrete Steps for Listeners:
  • Spread the message: “We’re more similar than we think.”
  • Use data from Similarity Hub to start conversations or debunk stereotypes.
  • Write op-eds, amplify positive content, or even start new projects aimed at culture change.
    • “Just spreading the fact that we're more similar and they're less threatening than we imagine is a great start.” – James Coan [24:06]
• Advanced Contribution:
  • Contact James Coan (james@morelikeus.org) for volunteer or collaboration opportunities.
  • “There's so many opportunities for people to make new nonprofits in this space, which might be surprising...” [23:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Why Approaching Misperceptions Directly Matters

  “These misperceptions tend to be skewed in one direction, thinking that they're more extreme, more threatening across the political spectrum than we tend to imagine.”
  — James Coan [04:02]

• On Perverse Media Incentives

  “If one can get rich or famous by demeaning the other side, some people are going to do it.”
  — James Coan [12:08]

• On Shifting Group Attitudes

  “I was looking at some Gallup data. I mean in the late 1950s, is it okay for whites and blacks to marry? 4% in 1958... these numbers are totally different now... We know that views of each other in group out group can change for better or worse. But I think we have to be proactive about it.”
  — James Coan [15:37]

• On Practical Action

  “The easiest thing for most people to do is to tell others we're actually more similar than we think. Right? They're less threatening than we imagine. Just spread that simple message.”
  — James Coan [22:54]

• On Going Beyond Dialogue

  “All you would get is less bad. You wouldn't really get anything that necessarily unites us... I think we should go beyond just neutral.”
  — James Coan [14:51]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |-----------|-------| | 00:04–02:53 | Episode intro; setting up the misperception thesis | | 02:53–04:21 | Why More Like Us targets misperceptions directly | | 04:21–07:08 | The difficulty of scaling dialogue; moving toward content-based solutions | | 07:08–09:34 | Early days, pilot partnerships, and interventions | | 09:36–10:56 | Addressing the ‘both sidesism’ critique | | 10:56–12:36 | Misperceptions: symmetrical & driven by systemic incentives | | 13:11–16:52 | Are misperceptions a cause or effect? Historical trends & root issues | | 17:18–19:13 | The myth of political identity as primary; how social media skews perception | | 19:13–22:28 | Can positive messages go viral? Emotional levers to build trust | | 22:28–25:28 | Practical tips for listeners: what you can do right now |

Resources & Further Reading

• Similarity Hub
• More Like Us
• Contact James Coan: james@morelikeus.org
• Research links and resources discussed available in the show notes

Episode Takeaway

Despite a hyper-polarized climate, most Americans are less different than they think—political division is being inflamed by structural incentives and media distortions. Scalable solutions like data-driven messaging, education, and positive content can counteract these forces. Listeners are encouraged to share facts about similarities, support institutional reforms, and push for trust-building change in their own networks and communities.