This interview, conducted in late September 2024, features David Beckemeyer in conversation with our Content Director, Nimayi Dixit. David is the founder and host of the Outrage Overload podcast, where he speaks with individuals working to address political polarization. 

The rise of vicious, tribal politics in the U.S. has become impossible to ignore, impacting personal lives and public discourse alike. Yet, there are hopeful signs: new institutions and grassroots movements are emerging to bridge divides, and scholars are uncovering insights from fields like sociology and psychology to foster understanding. 

Beckemeyer, a retired tech professional, now dedicates his time to tackling polarization. Nimayi and David first met at a meeting of Crossing Party Lines, one of the aforementioned institutions focused on bringing people together across political differences. In this interview, Beckemeyer shares his views on what’s driving the breakdown in political culture and what we can do to address it. We hope this is the first of many conversations and we hope you find it worthwhile. 

You can follow David on Twitter: https://x.com/mrblog

...and follow the Outrage Overload podcast here: https://outrageoverload.net/

RECORDED SEPTEMBER 2024; ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 2024

An edited transcript of this conversation is available in our Collection ‘Life in the Scroll Age’