US the Story: Dismantling Partisan Propaganda | Gregg Hurwitz | EP 488

Coming up (0s)

• The most effective way to undermine Western values is by exploiting its core principles and ideals, such as free speech and diversity, which are highly valued in the West (0s).
• Free speech can be used as a powerful tool to manipulate and undermine Western societies if used strategically (7s).
• Diversity, in the context of America, is a strength and a reflection of the country's unique identity, which is distinct from how the concept is used by leaders like Trudeau (16s).
• When diversity is used as a means to manipulate public opinion, it can lead to complicated arguments and confusion among people, making it challenging to discern what is and isn't acceptable (26s).
• This confusion can result in people becoming uncertain about what is off-limits and what is not, leading to a blurring of lines and a loss of clarity in public discourse (41s).

Intro (43s)

• The conversation is an ongoing discussion between two friends and colleagues that has been happening for 30 years, involving various projects, including one aimed at helping the Democrats move to the center (1m3s).
• Greg Hurwitz has been involved in an enterprise called "US the Story," which focuses on criticizing the victimized narrative in culture and exploring the root causes of disintegration and polarization (1m19s).
• The disintegration and polarization in culture are partly a result of intellectual movements, but also facilitated by "bad actors" who agitate directly and indirectly, including international actors like Iran, China, and Russia (1m46s).
• These international actors use social media to distort the political views of young people, particularly young women, which has a negative impact on the culture (2m5s).
• Despite the polarization, there is a deep agreement among the majority of Americans on key policy issues, both international and domestic, which does not receive much attention (2m25s).
• The conversation aims to detail the role of international actors, discuss the impact of "psychopathic trolls" and "demonic algorithms," and highlight the unity in the central American story (2m38s).
• The central American story has the potential to unite people properly, productively, and passionately, offering reason for optimism (2m49s).

A 32 year conversation (3m4s)

• A conversation about polarization and its effects has been ongoing for a long time, with the goal of ameliorating it, but inadvertently adding to it through feedback loops (3m4s).
• The power of polarization has increased significantly since October 7th, with expansion on both the left and the right, which is not a positive development (3m41s).
• Gregg Hurwitz was tasked with exploring anti-Semitism, but found that it is often used as a tool in a broader narrative, and discovered the extent of foreign operations manipulating opinion in America (4m11s).
• America has many problems that need to be fixed, but despite this, the country is fundamentally good and still oriented towards its core values, with a large amount of agreement on many issues (4m49s).
• Two major factors contributing to the current state of polarization are foreign psychological operations and a profit-driven industry that benefits from constant outrage and division within the US (5m3s).
• There is a disconnect between the reality of the country and the way people feel, with many believing that everything is falling apart, but there are concrete steps that can be taken to address this issue (5m24s).
• The conversation aims to explore ways to rectify the problem of polarization without amplifying it, and to find solutions to put things right again (5m31s).

US The Story - connecting meaning and disparate thinking (5m34s)

• The organization aims to address the issue of partisan propaganda and explore the culture of politics, with the goal of understanding different perspectives and value structures. (5m35s)
• As a novelist, the approach is to deeply understand various perspectives and how they are affected, in order to translate and make connections between different methods of making meaning or thinking. (5m47s)
• The exploration into the culture of politics is driven by curiosity and a desire to tell a story to the broadest possible audience, without judgment, and to identify the underlying reasons behind people's opinions and ideologies. (6m11s)
• By understanding where people are really coming from, many divisions collapse, and there is often massive consensus on major issues facing America. (6m42s)
• However, the focus on misinterpreting terms, referencing disliked thinkers, and the outrage machine can shift attention away from understanding and towards division and conflict. (6m54s)

What it means to be post partisan, how Hurwitz applies this thinking to anti-polarization efforts (7m6s)

• The team's work is focused on being post-partisan, which means getting opinions from a broad range of people across the spectrum to understand the culture and reality, and to counter polarization (7m41s).
• The team's main goal is to promote shared American values and to benefit the US at large, with the understanding that improving the country's well-being will positively impact all minorities and majorities (7m58s).
• The team consists of a founder and CEO, Gretchen Barton, a political strategist and thinker, Mark Riddle, and a studio lead, Johnny Poton, among others (8m11s).
• The team's activities include polling, psychometrics research, and testing messaging to understand what ideas work and what ideas receive backlash from different quarters (8m30s).
• The team takes a consensus-driven approach, talking to people on the far right and far left to build creative messaging and to identify effective strategies for promoting shared values (8m34s).
• Marshall Hovitz, a director, has been closely involved in overseeing the creative aspects of the team's work and helping to develop effective messaging (8m42s).
• The team's work is focused on research, execution, and communication, with the goal of promoting a more unified and less polarized US (7m37s).

The dementing of the culture post October 7th (8m55s)

• An enterprise was formed to address the dementing of culture following the events of October 7th, initially focusing on the rise of anti-Semitism on the right and left, but later realizing the essential focus should be on the process of polarization in general, which is being sped up by people motivated to do so and profit from it (8m56s).
• Anti-Semitism is seen as a manifestation of a more fundamental issue that should be addressed, rather than considered in isolation, with the rise of anti-Semitism being a warning sign for the mob coming for successful minorities and individuals in general (9m44s).
• The victim-victimizer narrative and the conscious actions of foreign manipulators, such as Russia, Iran, and China, are being explored, as well as the collusion of corporations on the social media side in advancing their agenda (10m20s).
• Anti-Semitism is considered an effective switch to flip if one wants a culture to tear itself apart, and it's fueled by foreign actors, with 60% of anti-Semitic traffic on social media reportedly coming from Russian bots (10m43s).
• Russia has a history of manipulating definitions and terms to conflate and create confusion, and has been working in concert with Iran and China to create permission structures for hatred and polarization (11m9s).
• The goal of these foreign actors is not to support one party over another, but to keep the US constantly fighting about the wrong things, distracting from the actual problems that need to be solved, and taking advantage of the fact that the majority of Americans are decent people who don't care about the divisive issues being pushed (12m18s).

Sociological and political studies show foreign influences behind manufactured polarization (12m43s)

• A sociological and political investigation strategy is used to determine the root cause of the negative consequences of polarization in America, which is the disintegration of a shared American identity under a set of American shared values (12m47s).
• This disintegration is being fractionated into group identity claims, resulting in negative consequences in multiple dimensions, and a significant portion of this is attributed to foreign influence (13m32s).
• The civil rights movement in America is cited as an example of a successful movement that exemplifies shared American values and is considered a foundational pillar in America, with a rich tradition that predates it (13m51s).
• The importance of shared American values is emphasized, as they provide a template for solving problems and promoting unity, and it is suggested that a shift away from these values has contributed to the current state of polarization (13m48s).
• The need to address the root cause of polarization and promote shared American values is highlighted, as it is essential for resolving the negative consequences of polarization and promoting a unified American identity (13m3s).

Two pessimistic outcomes - and how we reach the positive one (15m11s)

• Investigations have led to two pessimistic conclusions and one optimistic conclusion regarding the state of discourse on social media platforms, which are being shaped by bad actors from foreign countries and psychopathic manipulators and greed from the domestic side, as well as psychopathic algorithms (15m12s).
• Foreign actors are capitalizing on the division they are sowing primarily for economic reasons and to garner attention, which has value, and this is amplified by AI algorithms that are directing attention and polarizing people (15m44s).
• The core and center of America is strong, and people are ready to move back towards a sane version of America, but issues remain partisan, such as the border and abortion, which get worse due to incentive structures being out of whack (16m11s).
• Despite the challenges, there are tools available to make things transparent, reset the value state, and put America together, but it requires a movement towards something new (16m31s).
• The collective resources in the United States are spectacular, but they need to be utilized in a way that makes sense and is based on a fair set of values, such as smart capitalism instead of regulatory capture and lobbyism (17m6s).
• Other countries are incentivized to make Americans hate themselves and each other, leading to deterioration, while they are building and booming, highlighting the need for the US to improve its output rate and efficiency rate (17m29s).
• The current state of affairs in America is characterized by people looking at screens, getting outraged, and taking minimal action, such as mailing checks, which is not an effective way to address the issues (17m49s).

Foreign psy-ops and the key demographics being targeted (18m0s)

• A claim is made that foreign operations, specifically from Iran, China, and Russia, are manipulating the US political landscape through social media algorithms that prioritize outraged capture attention, which has economic utility (18m0s).
• Measuring how a culture thinks and moves is complicated, and the methodology for outreach should not make things worse, as seen in a poll from the 30s about anti-Semitism that showed how questions can set the stage for dialogue and influence opinions (18m52s).
• The approach to studying this issue is based on genuine curiosity for the long-term good, using various methods such as polls, focus groups, and visual representations to gather information from different sides of the culture (19m39s).
• A TikTok study found that women between the ages of 18 and 34 have an unfavorability view of America that is 52 points above the norm, which is an extraordinary outlier for one demographic group (20m30s).
• This demographic group's opinions about Israel and Jews also follow a similar pattern, with a deteriorating value set that is tied to an obsessive focus on "little Satan" and "big Satan" (20m51s).
• The finding that young women, who are opinion setters in various ways, have such a high unfavorability view of America is striking and should not be glossed over (21m16s).
• The views of certain demographic groups in the United States, such as those regarding the US and Israel, are significantly skewed compared to other groups, with a primary source of information being TikTok (21m40s).
• These groups are two standard deviations above the norm in getting their information from TikTok, which is owned by China and exports different content than what is available in China (22m4s).
• In China, TikTok has a time limit of 20 minutes per day for students, and the information available is educational, whereas the content exported to other countries is often sensational and attention-grabbing (22m18s).
• The export of such content may be an effort to shorten the attention span of young people and undermine Western values (22m38s).
• The spread of misinformation and propaganda through social media platforms like TikTok may be a consequence of the relatively unregulated free market of ideas in the West (22m44s).
• The best way to destroy Western values may be to exploit its own principles, such as free speech and diversity, which can be used to spread propaganda and confuse people's reference points (22m54s).
• The exploitation of diversity and free speech can lead to complicated arguments and confusion about what is and is not acceptable, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate protesters and those with ulterior motives (23m19s).

TikTok: small efforts can create mass rage and doubt (23m37s)

• The difference in content between what China feeds its own children and what it broadcasts into the United States is notable, but it's hard to understand how much of it is planned subversion versus an inevitable consequence of cultural differences (23m46s).
• Russia and China have bot farms, and the Islamic regime in Iran is also skilled at messaging and strategy, contributing to the power of infiltrating social media (24m5s).
• A lot of the power for infiltrating through social media comes from China and Russia, and part of their strategy is to set trends and flip cultural tripwires to make people doubt everything (24m20s).
• Russia has been working on spreading disinformation about topics like vaccination for decades, causing people to turn against each other (24m44s).
• Foreign operations and domestic players who profit from rage and polarization contribute to the devolution of the American story and the lack of consensus on topics like immigration and abortion (25m10s).
• The TikTok issue is used as a case study in how small efforts can create mass rage and doubt, and how foreign operations can shift momentum and lean on it in different ways (25m26s).
• In 2022, only 7% of Americans felt the US was providing too much support to Ukraine, but by 2024, 31% believed it was too much support, showing a significant shift in public opinion (25m35s).
• Russia ran a giant multi-channel disinformation campaign aimed at weakening international support for Ukraine, using false narratives, fake news, and forged documents (26m45s).
• The campaign involved tens of thousands of people creating content, which was then amplified by algorithms to drive outrage and more views (26m53s).
• The goal of these foreign operations is to shift momentum and create doubt, and it's not just about executing a sophisticated plan, but about moving public opinion 10-20 degrees (25m58s).

The Islamic Republic is hated by most Iranians (27m26s)

• Iran's head tweeted congratulations to American campus protesters supporting Hamas, which is comparable to Hitler congratulating neo-Nazis in the US in 1939, and this event largely flew under the radar (27m27s).
• The Iranian Islamic state is not representative of Islam or the Middle East, and it is distinct from other countries in the region like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt, which have their own complexities but are building and trading (28m28s).
• The Iranian regime is hated by most Iranians, and the diaspora community is very clear in their moral stance against the regime (29m6s).
• A documentary featuring conversations with Muslim, Jewish, and gay Iranians, as well as Iranian Americans, showcases their perspectives on the Iranian regime and its playbook (29m23s).
• The Iranian regime's long-term goal is the destruction and death of America, which has been the case since 1979, making it distinct from other problematic countries like Russia and China (30m57s).
• The threat posed by people reiterating statements from the Iranian regime, which has a stated goal of enmity and genocidal victory, is noteworthy and worth considering (31m37s).
• The Iranian people are amazing, with an educated population that was headed in the right direction until the 1979 Revolution, which has been a catastrophe, and the long-term relationship with Iran could be incredible (32m37s).

How our children’s brains are being programmed (32m51s)

• The trail of causality between Iranian manipulators behind the scenes on TikTok and campus protests in the US can be attributed to America's failure to protect its institutions from capture and corruption, allowing for the manipulation of young minds (32m53s).
• The widespread availability of the internet and social media to children has led to a situation where 12-year-olds have unlimited access to porn, terrorists, and criminals, which can shorten their attention span and negatively impact their development (33m33s).
• This situation is exacerbated by the fact that institutions necessary for effective communication and free speech have not kept pace with technological transformations, making it easier for bad actors to capture communication strategies and manipulate individuals (34m52s).
• The potential for capture of communication strategies by truly bad actors, including sadistic, narcissistic, and psychopathic individuals, is a significant problem, especially when they have access to teams of addiction specialists and AI deep machine learning (35m18s).
• Social media platforms, particularly those that capitalize on short-term attention, can be detrimental to mental health, and it's questionable whether one can be sane while using certain platforms, as they can hack into users' brains and manipulate their thoughts (35m43s).
• The issue is not just with specific platforms like TikTok or Twitter but with the willingness to capitalize on shorter-form content, which can lead to a pathological inclination to prioritize short-term attention (36m11s).
• The control of social media platforms can be seen as a form of generational control, where corporations and foreign governments are influencing the psychological, emotional, and physical development of children, which is a concern that needs to be addressed (36m38s).
• There is a need for reasonable dialogue and parameters to be set to ensure the healthy development of children and prevent polarization, and it's not unreasonable to want to build a healthy generation of kids and prevent hijacking and manipulation (36m54s).

Ascendant antisemitism and the links to Russia, China, and Iran (37m24s)

• Anti-Semitism appears to be increasing, with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reporting 8,873 incidents in 2023, up from 912 in 2014, and the FBI releasing a report showing a rise in hate crimes against Jews (37m24s).
• Following the October 7th attack, information and bots were quickly deployed to spread anti-Semitic content in the US, with evidence suggesting that this content was pre-prepared and not the result of a coordinated conspiracy between Russia, Iran, and China (38m0s).
• The spread of anti-Semitic content is often facilitated by the infusion of bots into online conversations, which can quickly escalate into a "volcanic eruption" of hate speech (38m35s).
• Domestic psychopaths can play a significant role in spreading hate speech and conspiracy theories, and understanding their motivations and behaviors is crucial in addressing these issues (38m45s).
• Russia, China, and Iran are often involved in spreading disinformation and propaganda in the US, with each country having its own blind spots and areas of focus, but ultimately seeking to create chaos and distract from other issues (38m59s).
• The goal of these foreign actors is to polarize the US population and create an existential threat narrative, where one side sees the other as an enemy, and all other values and issues become secondary (39m34s).
• This polarization is a relatively new phenomenon in US politics, and it is driven by the desire to create chaos and distract from other issues, rather than a genuine desire to address the country's problems (39m50s).
• The erosion of a shared narrative and a sense of national identity is a significant concern, as it can lead to the fractionation of identity and the breakdown of social cohesion (40m21s).
• The importance of maintaining a sense of national identity and a shared narrative is crucial in addressing the challenges facing the US, and it requires a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and find common ground (40m25s).
• The progression and movement towards division of groups rather than acceptance of groups is a significant issue, and it's essential to focus on shared identity to address this problem (41m14s).
• America is not as divided as it seems, with 92% of Americans believing the October 7th attack was unjustified, and 73% thinking it's essential to maintain the US-Israeli alliance (41m49s).
• A significant majority of Americans (92%) support the right of countries like the US and Israel to defend themselves against terrorist attacks (42m13s).
• There is a notable difference in opinions on college campus protests, with 46% of people finding them deeply troubling, and 31% believing students will always protest something (42m21s).
• The presence of anti-Semitic actions, such as painting stars of David on synagogues, can create a foothold for division and hatred (42m43s).
• Jews are not the only existential issue in America, and there are other concerns, such as the lack of choice in internet service providers, which can lead to monopolies and exploitation of customers (42m54s).
• Internet service providers (ISPs) have the ability to keep a log of every website visited, and third parties can access this information unless a VPN like ExpressVPN is used (43m10s).
• ExpressVPN can reroute 100% of traffic through secure encrypted servers, making it difficult for third parties to track browsing history (43m35s).
• ExpressVPN hides IP addresses, making it challenging for anyone to track online activities, and it's easy to use across all devices (43m40s).

The hallmark of postmodernism (44m27s)

• The core definition of postmodernism is skepticism regarding uniting metanarratives, which leads to the devolution of true identity to group identity and the emergence of a victim-victim narrative (44m29s).
• This polarization is also being produced by the ascendency of postmodernism as an intellectual exercise in universities, which can be seen in the debates about shared identity in countries like the UK and Canada (45m6s).
• The rejection of a shared identity, such as the American identity, facilitates movement towards identity based on fractionated elements like race, sex, or ethnicity, leading to division and the emergence of a victim-victim narrative (45m44s).
• This narrative can express itself in toxic forms, such as anti-Semitism, which serves as a warning sign for the dangers of postmodernism (46m14s).
• Postmodernism did not originate in political theory but rather in English departments, where it was used to attack and deconstruct stories, which can be seen as a threat to social unity and the notion of shared narrative (46m27s).
• The influence of postmodernism can be seen in the way literature is taught, with a focus on deconstructing the work rather than appreciating its genius and intended meaning (46m59s).
• Douglas Murray argued that students should not judge great works of literature like Shakespeare but rather learn from them, as they are greater than the students themselves (47m43s).
• The attack on shared narrative and the notion of a greater good is seen as a form of nihilism, which can be detrimental to society and social cohesion (48m1s).

Bias and grievance narratives across demographics, successful assimilation (48m24s)

• Every minority group experiences some form of bias, which is almost built into the conception of minority, and this bias can manifest in different ways, such as being seen as having too much power or exaggerating one's minority status (48m25s).
• Jews, in particular, are often viewed as not being warm, but this perception is not necessarily accurate, and Jews are allowed to have opinions about other groups just like every other group (48m47s).
• Anti-Semitism is a serious issue, but it's essential to distinguish between anti-Semitism and "Jew hate," which involves more extreme and violent forms of prejudice (49m19s).
• People's views on different groups, including corporations, rich people, and Christians, can be complex and influenced by various factors, and it's not accurate to group individuals into simplistic categories (49m42s).
• The way people view different groups can be influenced by a grievance narrative, which can lead to the perception that certain groups, such as rich people and Christians, are more powerful or privileged than others (50m4s).
• Instead of focusing on group identity, it may be more productive to focus on American law and the shared value set that can bring people together (50m35s).
• The emphasis on group identity can be problematic, as it can lead to the perception that everyone is a minority and that all minorities are oppressed, creating a victimizer and a sense of inevitability of categorization (51m2s).
• The liberal project, which emphasizes individual categorization, can be seen as a way to remediate against the tendency to prioritize group identity, and this idea is grounded in the Judeo-Christian concept that every person has inherent value and worth (51m45s).
• Every individual is made in the image of God, which implies that people should be viewed as multi-dimensional and composed of various minority identities and positions of privilege, deserving of dignity and intrinsic value (52m13s).
• Failing to treat individuals as such and instead devolving into identity groups can lead to chaos, strife, pathology, and a sense of personal victimization (52m44s).
• Attacking someone for their virtue is a highly effective psychological attack, and this phenomenon has been particularly prevalent in America (52m59s).
• America's assimilation process and values, when done correctly, allow for successful integration of immigrants from diverse backgrounds, making it a unique strength of the country (53m24s).
• Proper civic onboarding and integration into the American value set enable communities to come together and make the most of the country's ability to take in immigrants (53m30s).
• The United States has the best-integrated ethnic and non-communities in the world, which is a remarkable achievement that can happen quickly (53m44s).

What the average swing voter looks like through data (53m49s)

• The average true swing voter, also referred to as an Obama-Trump voter, is someone who can think broadly across the spectrum and is not inherently racist or anti-conservative, and this type of voter works two and a half jobs, commutes three hours a day on average, and thinks about politics four minutes a week (54m28s).
• These swing voters are solving problems, trying to pay bills, carpooling kids, and engaging with people of different political persuasions, and they don't have the luxury of furiously interacting with others in the real world (55m23s).
• Political activism and obsession can be considered a luxury lifestyle, and once politics seeps into everything, it can lead to the elevation of partisan merchants of rage who gather people around in moral agreement and turn the other side into a monolith (55m45s).
• The ethics of a field can be lost when politics is rewarded more highly, leading to the creation of propaganda, and this can be seen in fields such as writing, psychotherapy, and medicine (56m4s).
• Partisan merchants of rage can gather people around in moral agreement and create a narrative where the other side is a monolith, responsible for everything bad, and this can lead to a lack of nuance and understanding in public debates (56m32s).
• The term "low-information voters" is used by academics and media to describe average swing voters who are not highly partisan and do not have a strong allegiance to a particular party (57m11s).
• The concept of "luxury beliefs" has been discussed by Rob Henderson, which refers to the idea that certain beliefs or values are only accessible to those who have the luxury of time and resources to devote to them (55m37s).
• High information voters are aware of local issues and care about the well-being of their community, such as the cost of milk, gas prices, and the performance of local schools, making them more concerned with reality than ideology (57m22s).
• Low information voters, on the other hand, may be subjected to different ideological influences, but they are still engaged in the real world and need real solutions to their problems (57m51s).
• The average swing voter is likely to have multiple jobs and be more experimental in their voting choices, as they are scrambling to make ends meet and are willing to try different solutions (58m40s).
• Swing voters are not locked into a particular ideology and are more focused on finding solutions to real problems, rather than adhering to a specific party line (59m1s).
• The election is likely to be decided by 9 million voters in seven swing states, which is approximately 3% of the population, but this 3% represents a larger portion of America's values and concerns (59m15s).
• To move America towards unity, it is necessary to focus on shared values and find common ground, regardless of the outcome of the presidential election (59m43s).
• There is a need for bold leadership and concrete steps to resuscitate and unify the country, and this must be done regardless of the election outcome (1h0m1s).
• The country faces external threats and cannot afford to be distracted by internal conflicts, making it essential to be vigilant and proactive in addressing these challenges (1h0m11s).
• Those who step forward with bold leadership and a commitment to unity will be rewarded, but this requires a willingness to take action and work towards a common goal (1h0m34s).

An image of bipartisan optimism, the DNC is stepping back from the far Left (1h0m51s)

• There are signs of bipartisan optimism, with the Republican side gathering around Trump, who has ex-Democrats surrounding him and is arguably moving towards a more core American enterprise. (1h0m52s)
• On the Democrat side, the DNC expressed a movement back to the center, with Harris making attempts to move things more to the center, which could be seen as a return to her natural position as a prosecutor from Oakland. (1h1m37s)
• The DNC featured a carefully orchestrated set of speakers, including the parents of hostages, veterans, and Alyssa Slackin, who represented a moderate view of America, indicating a shift towards the center. (1h2m42s)
• The choice of speakers and the overall tone of the DNC suggest a differentiation from a more extreme or monolithic view, and instead represent a more nuanced and centrist approach. (1h2m56s)
• Despite potential cynicism, the movement towards the center is seen as a positive development, and it is acknowledged that people can learn and make adjustments, as evidenced by Harris's shift. (1h3m35s)
• The overarching issue is that the battle to move the political system towards the center must proceed, regardless of individual politicians or parties, in order to achieve a more moderate and inclusive view of America. (1h4m2s)
• The central core of the discussion revolves around the importance of messaging in politics, particularly in the context of a specific politician's approach, which has been met with wide approval from Democrats and others, and is seen as a more positive and unifying message (1h4m44s).
• This approach is viewed as the beginning of a virtuous spiral or positive feedback loop, which is more likely to happen when messaging is focused on unity and positivity rather than anger and division (1h5m26s).
• The politician in question, a black prosecutor from Oakland, is seen as being in a strong position to create permission for America to move towards the middle and find common ground, given her background and experience (1h6m0s).
• The discussion also touches on the ongoing conflict in Israel, which has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement, and the importance of organizations like the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in providing support and aid to those affected (1h6m20s).
• The Fellowship is providing crucial support, including food, shelter, and safety, to those in need, and is seeking donations to continue its critical work, with a gift of $45 helping to provide necessities to families of injured soldiers (1h7m10s).
• The discussion concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to visit the Fellowship's website and donate to support its work in providing aid to those affected by the conflict in Israel (1h7m20s).

We need to remove pathology from politics, defending shared principles (1h7m36s)

• Efforts have been made to move Democrats away from radical leftists and towards the center, and similar efforts have been made to bring conservatives and Republicans towards the center as well (1h7m36s).
• The approach involves moving towards any movement that is towards the good without lying or manipulation, and this requires fact-checking and fair arguments (1h8m41s).
• Fact-checking has been done with the help of Republicans and conservatives to ensure that arguments are fair and truthful (1h8m52s).
• The goal is to convey things in a way that people can relate to, without driving the wrong instincts through messaging (1h9m6s).
• Partisan work is done without making money to avoid any weird incentive structure (1h9m14s).
• A conduit of ideas has been created between both parties, allowing for a post-partisan perspective (1h9m32s).
• The post-partisan perspective involves identifying pathological players at the fringe who are amplifying and capitalizing on division, as well as strengthening the center (1h9m56s).
• The pathological actors, including dark tetrad types and foreign operators, are not playing a partisan game and are instead out for themselves or operating under their own agenda (1h10m23s).
• These actors will use whatever is hot on either side of the political spectrum to further their pathological manipulations, making them a common enemy of anyone aiming at the good (1h10m50s).
• The goal is to unite against these entities, with the understanding that the US is against all these entities, and that the hottest button issue is often used as a tool for manipulation (1h11m3s).
• Anti-Semitism is one of the hottest button issues that the world is primed for, and groundwork is being laid for this issue (1h11m13s).
• The concept of permission structures and old hatreds emerging when these structures are granted is discussed, with the example of hatred towards Jews being allowed as long as it does not break the law or lead to violent actions (1h11m18s).
• The idea that vehemently feeling hatred does not put someone in a morally superior position is emphasized, using Martin Luther King as an example of someone who conducted himself differently in the face of greater threats (1h11m46s).
• The importance of understanding what constitutes the necessary center and ideal in America is highlighted, with a need for more attention to be focused on this aspect (1h12m15s).
• The tendency for things that are taken for granted to become invisible is noted, and the importance of defending these shared principles is emphasized (1h12m31s).
• The criticism that some work is merely stating the obvious is acknowledged, but it is argued that this is necessary at the current time, and that explaining and defending these principles is crucial (1h12m50s).
• The existence of a vast pool of shared principles that constitutes American values is discussed, and the importance of laying out and defending these core values is highlighted (1h13m10s).

What 80 to 100 percent of Americans agree on, pushing the boundaries in a way that expands them (1h13m28s)

• 100% of Americans agree on the importance of freedom of speech and religion, while 97% agree on the freedom to vote and having every vote counted, and stopping scam phone calls and texts (1h13m29s).
• 97% of Americans also agree on investing in kids to ensure they have a brighter future, and 96% agree that sex offenders belong in jail (1h13m49s).
• The phrase "success from hard work should be rewarded and emulated" is interesting as it implies that success can derive from hard work, which is often attacked by radical leftist and communist types who are anti-meritocratic (1h14m12s).
• The best predictor of long-term life success on the personality side is trait conscientiousness, which is associated with better health care, longer marriages, and longer lifespan (1h14m34s).
• Conscientiousness holds the world together, and a correlation between conscientiousness and life outcome is an index of the health of society (1h14m37s).
• A society with a high correlation between conscientiousness and success is a healthy society, as it rewards people who can delay gratification, invest in the future, keep their word, and are diligent and industrious (1h14m56s).
• If the correlation between conscientiousness and success in a culture is zero, then the culture is pathological, which is a more conservative value (1h15m11s).
• A culture needs a solid core of conscientious people to allow for experimentation and innovation, as without it, the culture can become brittle and shatter (1h15m31s).
• The stability of the center allows for wild experimentation in the arts, as it provides a foundation for creativity and innovation (1h15m45s).
• The conditions necessary for a novelist to do their job are extraordinary and ridiculous, and the fact that 85% of book revenue goes to other sources is an indication of how much a writer's freedom depends on those other sources (1h16m0s).
• The distribution of book revenue to other sources is not radically unfair, but rather an indication of how much a writer's freedom depends on those other sources, such as publishers, who pay advances and provide structures for writers to work within (1h16m17s).
• The necessity for defining and holding the center is crucial, especially in engaging with conservative thought and thinkers, as it functions to provide a foundation for creativity, innovation, and experimentation (1h17m7s).
• The relationship between art and politics is crucial, and a healthy balance between the two is necessary for a functioning society, as an imbalance can lead to domination and dehumanization of the opposing side (1h17m17s).
• In the US, the progressive voices have dominated the art scene, resulting in a decrease in creative freedom for artists and a decline in the quality of productions, making them dull, hateful, and depressing (1h17m49s).
• Many artists in the community are demoralized due to the lack of creative freedom and the pressure to conform to certain ideologies (1h18m10s).
• Comedy can be a powerful tool in making taboo topics safe and acceptable, as seen in comedy clubs where people of different backgrounds and orientations can come together and laugh at their differences (1h19m6s).
• The "Court Jester" approach, as seen in Shakespeare's plays, allows for the discussion of sensitive topics in a lighthearted and humorous way, making them more approachable and less divisive (1h19m15s).
• Joint demonstrations of comedy, such as comedy shows with large audiences, can be a celebration of unity and a way to bring people together, as seen in a comedy show in Toronto with Jimmy Carr (1h19m42s).
• These collective experiences can be psychologically beneficial, allowing people to laugh at their differences and engage in playful and peaceful discussions (1h20m1s).
• Comedy can also serve as a form of inoculation, allowing people to engage with sensitive topics in a safe and playful way, making them less likely to be offended or triggered (1h20m21s).
• The comedians who engage in this type of humor are not trying to offend or provoke, but rather to create a safe space for discussion and laughter (1h20m39s).
• Comedians often push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable, maintaining or expanding the limits of what can be discussed, and in doing so, create a safe space for others to express themselves in a more moderate way (1h20m42s).
• The role of comedians is to mediate entry for others by granting permission for more extreme versions of ideas to be discussed, and this is a crucial function that the artistic community should be performing regularly (1h21m1s).
• Pushing boundaries is not the same as destroying the rules, and comedians who are mean-spirited are often not funny, as humor relies on a built-in test of fairness (1h21m21s).
• A comedian like Dave Chappelle is able to make points and be funny even when expressing unpopular opinions, because he plays by fair rules and is a genius in his craft (1h21m30s).

Environmental agreement, starting with the right argument to come together (1h21m45s)

• Americans share common values, such as taking care of the environment and ensuring clean fields, streams, seas, and skies, with 95% agreeing on this point (1h21m51s).
• The phrase "taking care of our environment" resonates with Rural America, while "clean seas and skies" may appeal more to liberal-inclined individuals (1h22m6s).
• Starting a conversation about climate change by stating it's an "existential threat" or a "hoax" can be polarizing, with around 40% of people agreeing with either statement (1h22m16s).
• A more effective approach is to make arguments for the effectiveness and robustness of environmental policies within a value structure that also makes sense financially (1h22m34s).
• Americans share other common values, such as loving their families and communities (94%), believing in gratitude (86%), and striving for excellence (91%) (1h22m50s).
• A significant majority (86%) also agree that the USA should have a sovereign border and that immigration should follow the laws and be safe for everyone (1h23m5s).
• Building consensus on these shared values can help solve problems and invest in rural and urban communities that have been left behind, with 93% agreeing on this point (1h23m25s).
• There are ways to intervene in communities that have been left behind by corruption and invest in them with measurable outcomes (1h23m37s).

What happened to our shared vision as Americans? Handling the fringe (1h23m43s)

• The United States was once remarkable for its ability to unite everyone around a core set of values, the American dream, the Melting Pot, and an overarching objective set of political ideas grounded in the liberal tradition, which was implicit in almost everything that came out of American pop culture (1h24m30s).
• This shared central narrative made America great, but it has been lost over time, and the country is now more divided than it was in the past (1h24m38s).
• The loss of this narrative may be attributed to the postmodern assault on the main narrative, which began in universities and English departments, fragmenting everything and creating a sense of disunity (1h25m8s).
• The country is also two generations away from the last nationally shared American catastrophe, World War II, which has led to a loss of recognition of the true terrors of Marxism, communism, and Nazism (1h25m16s).
• The political system has also changed, with gerrymandering, cameras in the chamber, and politicians spending more time at home rather than in DC, which has contributed to the division (1h25m42s).
• The rise of technology has also played a role in the division, as people are now more focused on their individual interests and less on the shared community (1h25m55s).
• The concentration of wealth has also contributed to the division, as people have the luxury of tearing the world down to make it interesting and focusing on small divisions (1h26m0s).
• The country is now at an inflection point, where it can wake up and set things right by focusing on long-term, measurable, and strategic solutions that are good for the American people across the board (1h26m22s).
• To strengthen the center and maintain creative exploration, it is necessary to tack to shared American values, which need to be defined and discussed (1h27m15s).
• The goal is to strengthen the center while keeping the psychopaths and bad actors at bay, and to maintain the ability for creative exploration and experimentation (1h27m10s).
• Politicians can be seen as flawed individuals trying to navigate a system filled with insanity and corruption, and it's the people's job to plant seeds and fertilize the American landscape to encourage politicians to move towards the center (1h28m6s).
• A case can be made for attacking towards the center from a political strategic perspective, as seen in the example of Harris and the DNC, where taking a more centrist approach boosted her popularity (1h27m59s).
• People are looking for solutions to their problems and want to be able to have respectful conversations with their neighbors without everything being turned into a political or cultural issue (1h29m9s).
• There's a need to move back to disciplines within their own fields, such as ethics, and not have every institution or conversation focus on specific political or cultural matters (1h29m37s).
• Schools should return to training children in the basics of education, rather than placing a strong emphasis on topics like sexuality, which can be confusing for kids (1h30m16s).
• The center has cracks in it, and The Fringe, although a place for useful experimentation and creative endeavor, also contains pathological actors that need to be addressed (1h30m40s).
• Allowing for enough freedom while also addressing the negative aspects of The Fringe is a difficult task that requires a delicate balance (1h30m57s).
• The current state of society, where people are expected to have an opinion on every single issue, can be overwhelming and impossible for individuals, especially young people, to navigate (1h29m27s).
• The relationship between creativity and crime rates is complex, with some countries having higher crime rates despite being more creative, and crime age curves and creativity age curves matching perfectly (1h31m4s).
• The issue of handling fringe elements in society is challenging, as it requires differentiating between genuine experimenters and those who seek to demolish the culture for personal gain (1h31m17s).
• The concept of the "Monstrous left" refers to the idea that too much hybridization can lead to a lack of cohesion, while the "Monsters of the right" represent too much sameness (1h31m34s).
• The psychopathy of fringe elements can have a self-cannibalizing effect, leading to increasing sameness and rigidity, as seen in the examples of Stalin and Hitler (1h31m47s).
• The oppressor-victim narrative is limiting, offering only three roles: victim, oppressor, or persecutor, none of which are desirable or lead to stability (1h32m1s).
• This narrative is designed to disintegrate and sever the fabric of a culture, and it is essential to move beyond it by focusing on gratitude and what is good about one's position (1h32m29s).
• Focusing on gratitude, as in classical religious practice, can prevent individuals from falling into a vengeful and resentful victim mentality (1h32m35s).
• The culture will move in the direction it is psychologically nudged, and if hatred and grievance proliferate, they can become the reality (1h33m0s).
• Permeating society with merit, gratitude, and positivity is crucial, as it can create a more harmonious and productive environment (1h33m12s).
• The importance of gratitude is evident in personal and professional settings, and it is essential for maintaining a healthy and functioning society (1h33m17s).
• If a society cannot move towards gratitude for what it has, it risks losing what it has achieved (1h33m32s).

How we move to peace and unity (1h33m40s)

• A moral requirement for moving forward is to have a discriminating search for opportunities and spaces that enable progress, rather than insisting the world is a positive place (1h34m1s).
• Only 1% of people prefer to focus on addressing past injustices to achieve justice, while 57% prefer to focus on solving current and future problems to move forward (1h34m12s).
• Tacking to shared American values, merit, and truth rather than the victim-oppressor narrative is essential, and making demands that impinge on others' rights and freedoms should be avoided (1h34m40s).
• Historical gratitude, rather than grievance, is crucial, and acknowledging the level of gratitude for America's role in receiving and integrating different identities is important (1h35m14s).
• America has been a dream for many, including the Jewish community, which has experienced both anti-Semitism and incredible opportunities, and has given much to America in return (1h35m28s).
• Every group, including the Jewish community, has a diverse range of opinions across the political spectrum, and it's essential to look to shared American values rather than dividing people by ethnic or racial identity (1h36m42s).
• The contribution of the black community to American culture is staggering, and America is not the same without it, with significant contributions in music, intellectual thought, poetry, and leadership (1h37m40s).
• Focusing on shared American values, historic gratitude, and the importance of truth and reconciliation can help move towards peace and unity (1h34m40s).

A modern transformation in popular thought acknowledges a unifying vision (1h38m17s)

• A transformation in popular thought acknowledges a unifying vision, which is a central narrative that unites and is necessary to uphold, with the US historically managing this balance better than any other country (1h38m19s).
• The US has integrated the best of every community, making it the most integrated country, where everyone can be part of the fabric, regardless of their background, such as Ethiopian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and others (1h39m5s).
• The success of Indian-Americans in the tech industry is a good example of immigrant success, with many extremely bright Indian engineers contributing to the growth of Silicon Valley, which in turn helped India thrive (1h39m24s).
• Similarly, Nigerian-Americans have also achieved a high level of success, demonstrating the potential for immigrant groups to integrate and contribute to the US (1h40m7s).
• The US has a roadmap in civil rights for handling disagreement and protests, but the accelerated rate of tech propagation requires new measures to address the challenges of mind control and misinformation (1h40m14s).
• There is a need to focus on concrete solutions to address the issues arising from the rapid spread of technology and its impact on society (1h40m31s).

What we can do today to rebuild our bridges, transparent algorithms (1h40m34s)

• The agreed-upon American value set is equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome, and the more the first gets corrupted, the more temptation there is to push for the second (1h40m36s).
• Opening the door to opportunity for everyone is good for the individuals involved, but the fundamental issue is that it benefits the broad culture by allowing the most able people to contribute (1h41m9s).
• Arbitrary barriers, such as those based on birth or state of birth, can prevent the most able people from contributing and are therefore undesirable (1h41m19s).
• Educating the most able people is important because they will produce products that are useful for everyone else, and any privileges they may have along the way are a minor consideration (1h41m36s).
• Merit-based selection is the best way to ensure that the most able people are given opportunities, and it is a more productive system than dynasty and nepotism (1h42m32s).
• The alternative to merit-based selection, historically, has been dynasty and nepotism, which are unproductive systems because they determine position based on birth rather than ability (1h42m41s).
• Gratitude, rather than grievance, should be the guiding principle, and the rule of law and pursuit of truth should be upheld (1h43m1s).
• Solutions should be measured by their outcomes, rather than their intentions, and reality should be the ultimate test of ideology (1h43m7s).
• Concrete steps can be taken to uphold free speech and prosecute illegal action, such as arresting and prosecuting people who break laws and engage in violent or destructive behavior (1h43m44s).
• People should be allowed to have their opinions, but they should not be allowed to engage in illegal behavior, and exceptions should not be made for certain groups (1h44m13s).
• Criticizing any state, including Israel, and its leadership, such as Netanyahu, is allowed as long as it is done peacefully and within the law, and does not involve breaking the law or using face coverings to menace and terrorize others (1h44m16s).
• The use of face coverings and masks in protests should be illegal if they are used to menace and terrorize, as this is associated with the KKK, and individuals should not be allowed to cover their faces to commit illegal acts or terrorize people (1h44m35s).
• Algorithms in social media play a significant role in the dissemination of information, and there is a need to maintain freedom of speech while also preventing the spread of outrageous, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, or insane content for profit (1h44m56s).
• The issue of regulating online discourse is complex, and even tech leaders like Zuckerberg and Musk do not know how to solve the problem, with corruption and the lack of regulation of online activity being major concerns (1h45m30s).
• Half of online activity is considered criminal, including pornography, outright crime, and quasi-crimes such as trolling, and there is a need for concrete steps to be taken to regulate online discourse (1h45m50s).
• One possible solution is the implementation of transparent algorithms, which would allow for the identification of non-human actors, such as Russian bots, and distinguish them from human actors (1h46m11s).
• Anonymous individuals who do not want to stand behind their words online should not be censored, but could be relegated to a second tier of comments, similar to how masking is handled in protests (1h46m26s).

Anonymity and the need of conscious regulation (1h46m41s)

• Online anonymity is comparable to wearing a mask, and everything, to some extent, requires human intervention, as automation cannot cover all edge cases, which is where consciousness comes in (1h46m42s).
• Consciousness is necessary for navigating the transformative edge that cannot be algorithmized, and this is achieved through the mechanism of free discourse, which requires a wide variety of opinions (1h47m45s).
• Algorithmization cannot identify and address individuals who spread chaos and terrorize others, but a transparent process can be implemented to reduce their reach and prevent the spread of hatred and outrage (1h48m21s).
• To prevent manipulative psychopaths from taking over, platforms can implement measures such as requiring users to provide their real names, charging a low price for access, and having a community-driven moderation system (1h48m59s).
• The Peterson Academy is an example of a platform that has successfully implemented these measures, with a community-driven moderation system and a low price of entry, resulting in entirely sane discourse (1h49m1s).
• Private companies can also implement limitations on how they conduct their marketplace of ideas, such as limiting access to certain features at certain times of the day, to promote a healthier online environment (1h49m49s).
• Implementing limitations on online interactions can be compared to setting rules in a classroom, where one person's constant temper tantrum can disrupt the learning environment, and similar rules can be applied online to promote constructive discourse (1h49m56s).

The difference between a referee and censor (1h50m4s)

• The distinction between a referee and a censor is crucial in maintaining civilized discourse, with a referee ensuring fair application of rules and a censor making arbitrary decisions behind the scenes (1h50m4s).
• A referee is necessary to set ground rules and ensure everyone knows what they are, allowing for fair and open discussion (1h50m12s).
• The majority of Americans, approximately 3.5, believe that American news organizations and social media platforms should be owned by US entities to prevent the spread of foreign propaganda and disinformation (1h50m31s).
• This concern is rooted in the fact that other countries, such as Iran, China, and Russia, would not allow the US to have a significant social media presence that reaches their entire population (1h50m45s).
• It is acceptable for America to have a national identity that is shared and promotes a space for people of different groups to compete, while also acknowledging the need to address obstacles to equality of opportunity (1h51m3s).
• Focusing on solving real problems, such as obstacles to equality of opportunity, is essential in driving discourse and education in the hands of Americans (1h51m20s).
• Having ownership of who educates children and drives national discourse in the hands of Americans is not an outrageous proposal (1h51m26s).

Pass PATA now! (1h51m35s)

• The PATA bill is a post-partisan bill sponsored by Senators Coons, Cassidy, Cornyn, Blumenthal, and Romney, aiming to increase transparency around algorithms used by social media platforms (1h51m37s).
• The bill's primary goal is not to attack free speech or give censorship control, but to provide the public with a right to know what is happening on these platforms (1h51m59s).
• The need for more content moderation and transparency around viral posts is emphasized, particularly in cases where information may be spread by troll farms or other malicious actors (1h52m6s).
• The bill seeks to address concerns about the spread of misinformation and the potential for foreign interference in social media, such as from troll farms in St. Petersburg (1h52m12s).
• There is a question about the size of a social network that would be subject to regulation, but the details of this are not yet clear (1h52m23s).
• The bill is seen as a starting point for addressing these issues, with transparency being the first step, rather than a means to freeze up and claim that free speech is under attack (1h52m33s).
• The PATA bill is part of a post-partisan effort to address these issues, with a committee working to find solutions (1h52m47s).

Free is the wrong value for online identities (1h52m51s)

• The concept of "free" in online identities may be problematic, as it can lead to the exploitation of online platforms by malicious actors, such as dark tetrad individuals and foreign agents, who can create fake accounts without incurring costs (1h53m9s).
• The value of "free" online identities may not accurately reflect the true value of online interactions, as users' attention is valuable and can be exploited for financial gain (1h53m37s).
• Charging a fee for online accounts, such as $40 per month, could potentially make it economically unviable for malicious actors to create fake accounts, thereby reducing the spread of misinformation and propaganda (1h53m26s).
• The idea that all information should be equal and that experts and institutions should not be trusted is not a viable solution to the problem of online misinformation, as it ignores the need for moderation and negotiation between different perspectives (1h53m55s).
• Humans have evolved to have different personality structures, such as high openness and high conscientiousness, which are often associated with liberal and conservative ideologies, and these differences are necessary for constructive debate and progress (1h54m10s).
• The lack of trained critical thinking skills among young people, combined with the use of cult-like mind control techniques by some online actors, has contributed to the erosion of civil discourse and the spread of misinformation (1h54m34s).
• The need to navigate who should control the education of children and how to fix the problems in universities is a pressing issue, particularly in the context of new technologies that are changing the way we interact and access information (1h54m55s).

We must be careful with the immense opportunity available to us (1h55m3s)

• The internet has leveled the communication playing field, opening up opportunities for information sharing, but also destroying intermediary structures that previously regulated communication, leading to a free-for-all that includes vicious manipulators, criminals, psychopaths, and bad foreign actors (1h55m4s).
• This free-for-all poses a cross-partisan danger to the structure of civilization, as foreign influences can be likened to war in the virtual realm, and internal threats from criminals and psychopaths can thrive in chaos (1h55m51s).
• A shared structure of values is necessary for a culture to be centered, with experimentation at the fringes to keep it vital, but this is threatened by internal and external threats, including pathological individuals and foreign invaders (1h56m11s).
• The threat of foreign invaders is being played out in the virtual landscape with information wars conducted by countries like Iran, Russia, and China (1h56m45s).
• A return to institutions and first principles is necessary to mediate these threats, including a reinstitutionalization of principles both politically and technologically to strengthen the core (1h56m54s).
• The center of American values is still vital and its principles are correct, and it could hold if strengthened and supported (1h57m43s).
• The Iranian community in the diaspora has shown moral clarity, dignity, and strength in discussing the playbook of information manipulation, and their voices are important to hear as they have lived through the successful execution of this playbook (1h58m2s).
• A documentary is being created to explore the history of the Revolution and its playbook, featuring interviews with various individuals who describe their backgrounds and share their perspectives on the Revolution and its potential consequences (1h58m47s).
• The documentary aims to serve as a cautionary tale, warning of the dangers of not returning to the reasonable center, where 80-100% of Americans are waiting to be received and move forward together to address the country's complex problems (1h59m11s).
• The project "US the Story" can be followed on X, Instagram, and YouTube, although it has been banned by TikTok (1h59m33s).
• A discussion is planned to explore how one's political views can shift over time, using the example of Gregg Hurwitz, who has adopted more conservative and libertarian views over the past decade (1h59m55s).
• The discussion will delve into Hurwitz's attempts to pull the Democrats to the center, his successes and failures, and how his integration of conservative and libertarian views has transformed him (2h0m6s).
• The conversation will also touch on the issue of trying to pull people to the center versus mounting an all-out assault on the opposing side to push them into a corner, a conundrum that has been a challenge ethically and practically (2h0m52s).
• The discussion will be available on The Daily Wire, behind the paywall, and will explore the complexities of navigating partisan perspectives and the importance of strengthening the center and rectifying informational imbalances that are warping the culture online (1h59m49s).