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From Political Polarization To Gang Violence: High Conflict And How To Free Yourself From It

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The White House is bathed in red, white and blue light as part of the Fourth of July celebration July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a “Salute To America” celebration that includes flyovers by military aircraft and a large fireworks display. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The White House is bathed in red, white and blue light as part of the Fourth of July celebration July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting a “Salute To America” celebration that includes flyovers by military aircraft and a large fireworks display. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Investigative journalist Amanda Ripley wanted to understand the sources of human conflict. So she studied it for more than four years. She detected a strong pattern to the most intractable conflicts, big and small. She found it in divorces, gang violence and political polarization. From the personal to the tribal, we discuss high conflict, and how to pull free of it.

Guests

Amanda Ripley, investigative journalist and author. Her new book is "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out." (@amandaripley)

Curtis Toler, director of outreach for Chicago CRED, a group whose mission is to stop deadly street violence.

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

From The Reading List

Washington Post: "Opinion: Americans are at each other’s throats. Here’s one way out." — "For a brief moment this month, we started to hear the proper words to describe what is happening in U.S. politics."

New York Times: "How to Resolve a Conflict When You Hate Your Opponent’s Guts" — "In the late 1970s, Jay and Lorna walked into the legal offices of Gary Friedman. After years of marriage, they had decided to call it quits. But instead of going through an adversarial process, they wanted somebody to help them disentangle their lives with as little belligerence as possible. That someone, they hoped, would be Friedman."

CBS News: "Agree to disagree: Achieving positive outcomes from conflict" — "Billy Moore was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, where growing up meant growing up too fast."

This program aired on April 12, 2021.

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Anna Bauman Producer/Director, On Point
Anna Bauman is a producer and director at On Point.

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Meghna Chakrabarti Host, On Point
Meghna Chakrabarti is the host of On Point.

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