Defusing American Anger : A Guide to Understanding Our Fellow Citizens and Reducing Us-vs-Them Polarization

Americans across the political spectrum are deeply afraid of the “other side” — whether it's views that Trump is destroying democracy or views that the left has grown too extreme and intolerant of dissent. These anxieties are real. But when we view our opponents through a maximally pessimistic, "they're all the same" lens, we'll often act in ways that amplify conflict and contempt. Ironically, our rage and contempt can help induce the very behaviors on the "other side" that bother us.Defusing American Anger gives a roadmap for breaking the self-reinforcing cycle of toxic conflict. Zachary Elwood helps readers see their fellow citizens more clearly and compassionately, understand how toxic polarization grows, and recognize how small shifts in our thinking and conversations can dramatically improve our political climate."Zachary Elwood is one of the wisest voices on toxic polarization... America needs its citizens to listen to Zach." —Daniel F. Stone, polarization researcher and author of Undue HateA unique feature of this book: it walks through through some of America’s most controversial topics — abortion, race and racism, immigration, guns, and more — and helps readers better understand what they might be missing about views on the "other side.” Often, we'll find that our political opponents are not nearly as crazy or evil as we think. Americans who genuinely want to make our politics less toxic must be willing to understand the "other side" – and not simply embrace tempting but false caricatures of what "they" are like. "I recommend this book to friends and family because it tries so hard to understand the perspectives of both liberals and conservatives." —Taylor Dotson, author of The DivideIn this book you'll learn: How both sides dramatically overestimate the extremism and animosity of the "other side"How excessive contempt and fear lead to a self-reinforcing cycle of conflict — which helps create the very behaviors that upset many people across the political spectrumThe more rational aspects of how each "side" builds its narratives about the other side's threatsHow the small choices we make every day can either intensify or weaken the toxicity of our divide"I felt saner and less afraid for the future after reading his books." —Brendan Bartholomew, San Francisco writerLearn more at American-Anger.com. Read more