Send Wilk a text with your feedback!
What happens when we take the work of bridging divides out of the classroom and into America’s backroads, small towns, and sheriff’s offices? That’s exactly what Adam Mizel and his organization Us United are doing. In this episode of the Derate The Hate Podcast, Wilk Wilkinson sits down with Adam to unpack what it means to go on the road for unity in an age of polarization.
Through a nationwide road trip, Adam and his team are meeting with sheriffs, local leaders, and everyday citizens—listening to their experiences, encouraging dialogue, and fostering connections that politics alone can’t deliver. Along the way, they’re proving that unity is not a theory; it’s a practice lived out in communities every day.
✅ The role sheriffs play as trusted connectors in local communities
✅ Why identity politics and labels create walls instead of bridges
✅ Real stories from Us United’s journey across America
✅ How sports and community events serve as natural unifiers
✅ Lessons for anyone who wants to build respect across divides
✅ The parallels between Us United’s work and the mission of Braver Angels
✅ Why hope, listening, and personal experiences are key to civic renewal
When neighbors come together, when sheriffs open their doors, when communities choose dialogue over division—we start to see the outlines of a cultural shift. Adam Mizel’s work shows us that the tools for unity aren’t abstract. They’re concrete, they’re local, and they’re within reach of every one of us.
At Braver Angels and here at Derate The Hate, we know that bridging divides isn’t about agreement—it’s about creating space for respect and real human connection. Adam’s journey with Us United proves that this work can inspire hope, transform communities, and point us all toward a healthier, more unified future.
🎧 Listen in and be encouraged to take the first step in your own community—because the road to unity starts right where you are.
🔗 Website: https://www.us-united.org/#home
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/USUnited.org
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adammizel
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/us_united_org
This episode of Derate The Hate is produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America’s largest cross-partisan, grassroots organization working to bridge the political divide and foster a more united country.
The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us as individuals. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for all you’ve got. Make every day the day that you want it to be!
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The Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels — America’s largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.org
Welcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast!
*The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:22:12
Wilk Wilkinson
What if unity wasn't just a buzzword, but something we could actually live out in our communities? If you've been listening for a while, you know that I spend a lot of my time working with Braver Angels to bridge divides and renew trust in our communities. My guest this week, Adam Mizel is walking a very similar path as co-founder and CEO of US United.
00:00:23:02 - 00:00:43:09
Wilk Wilkinson
Adam's on a nationwide journey. Sitting down with sheriffs and community members, breaking through the noise of labels and politics, and proving that unity is built through respect and real conversation, our work runs on parallel tracks with the same destination, a more connected and hopeful America.
00:00:43:09 - 00:00:48:16
Adam Mizel
we started to do events with Chris and with other sheriffs and build relationships.
00:00:48:18 - 00:01:07:22
Adam Mizel
I started to see, here's a network of people who are elected. Yes, they are in law enforcement, but because they're elected, they spend so much time building bridges and bringing their communities together because they report to the people. They don't report to a mayor or city council governor. They report to the people. And it took me a little while.
00:01:07:22 - 00:01:24:11
Adam Mizel
Sometimes you're - I’m not the smartest tack in the bunch, but I was like, we kept doing more. And I'm like, this is an interesting group. And so we let me after last year, we did the 12 sheriffs all on our holiday spectacular in December for the fifth time. I said we should do more. And that led to this idea of the Sheriff Unity Network.
00:01:24:11 - 00:01:25:07
Adam Mizel
And,
00:01:25:07 - 00:01:33:19
Adam Mizel
it's spread like wildfire. I mean, the sheriffs love it. As we go around talking to people, and we've hit into a vein that I think is really powerful.
00:01:34:18 - 00:01:40:16
Wilk Wilkinson
Stick around friend. It's another episode you won't want to miss. Roll that intro.
00:01:40:16 - 00:02:30:01
Wilk Wilkinson
Welcome back, my friends, for the Derate the Hate podcast. I'm your host, Wilk Wilkinson, your blue collar sage calming outrage and helping to navigate a world divided by fog. And those who would spread that fear, outrage and grievance. The Derate the Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots cross Partizan organization working towards civic renewal.
00:02:30:03 - 00:02:57:07
Wilk Wilkinson
This podcast amplifies the mission that we share to foster a more respectful and united America where civic friendship thrives even when we disagree. Each week, through the power of story, conversation, and connection with incredible guests, we work to build bridges instead of barriers, not to change minds on the issues, but to change how we see one another when we differ.
00:02:57:09 - 00:03:21:16
Wilk Wilkinson
Because friends, it really is about bettering the world one attitude at a time. We did not create the hate, but together we can Derate the Hate. So be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Share it with a friend and visit Braver angels.org to learn how you can get involved in the movement to bridge the partizan divide.
00:03:21:18 - 00:03:30:12
Wilk Wilkinson
Friends, I am so incredibly grateful that you have joined me for another powerful Derate the Hate episode. So let's get to it.
00:03:31:02 - 00:03:48:08
Wilk Wilkinson
One of the many things that I've learned through my work with Braver Angels is that unity does not happen in theory or by accident. It happens when people step out, engage across differences, and build trust in their communities. My guest today, Adam Mizel
00:03:48:08 - 00:03:49:10
Wilk Wilkinson
is doing just that.
00:03:49:10 - 00:03:49:20
Wilk Wilkinson
Adam's
00:03:49:20 - 00:03:59:06
Wilk Wilkinson
crisscrossing the country, engaging with sheriffs, local leaders and everyday Americans to foster understanding and collaboration.
00:03:59:06 - 00:04:33:09
Wilk Wilkinson
demonstrating that the antidote to toxic polarization is not found in labels, identity politics, or waiting for someone in Washington. It's found in the personal connections that we create face to face in our conversation. Adam and I dive into the shared vision between us, united and braver angels. Building bridges through dialog. Shifting culture from division to respect and creating opportunity where sports, community events and personal experiences spark empathy and real connection.
00:04:33:10 - 00:04:53:17
Wilk Wilkinson
Adam brings both the perspective of a seasoned leader and the heart of someone deeply committed to America's civic renewal. So if you believe, like I do, that this cultural shift starts with us neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens willing to show up and listen. You won't want to miss this conversation.
00:04:53:17 - 00:04:57:05
Wilk Wilkinson
Let's get into it with my friend Adam Mizel
00:04:57:07 - 00:04:57:18
Wilk Wilkinson
Here we go.
00:04:57:18 - 00:05:03:08
Wilk Wilkinson
Adam Mizel, Welcome to the Derate the Hate podcast man. Good to see you today.
00:05:03:10 - 00:05:11:02
Adam Mizel
Good to see you. I apologize I'm out in public on the corner in front of one of the oldest taverns in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in Boston on a road trip, as
00:05:11:02 - 00:05:15:08
Adam Mizel
So I apologize for a little bit of background noise, but we get some local color.
00:05:15:10 - 00:05:17:04
Wilk Wilkinson
Hey, that's all right. That's all right.
00:05:17:04 - 00:05:20:22
Wilk Wilkinson
road trips are fun. I mean, one of my favorite things to do, Adam, is road trips.
00:05:20:22 - 00:05:26:08
Wilk Wilkinson
And I haven't been to Boston in a very long time, so at least now I get to experience that a little bit.
00:05:26:09 - 00:05:28:02
Adam Mizel
You got it.
00:05:28:04 - 00:05:30:20
Wilk Wilkinson
All right, so, speaking of this road trip,
00:05:30:20 - 00:05:32:20
Wilk Wilkinson
you were introduced to me, Adam, by,
00:05:32:20 - 00:05:35:22
Wilk Wilkinson
by a common friend of our Neil Ghosh, and he,
00:05:35:22 - 00:05:37:01
Wilk Wilkinson
he told me,
00:05:37:01 - 00:05:37:20
Wilk Wilkinson
about,
00:05:37:20 - 00:05:41:09
Wilk Wilkinson
you doing this road trip and going around and
00:05:41:09 - 00:05:44:11
Wilk Wilkinson
you're organization us United is,
00:05:44:11 - 00:05:51:16
Wilk Wilkinson
is is doing a lot of different things and a lot of really cool things in the, in the bridge building space and the unity kind of space.
00:05:51:16 - 00:05:59:23
Wilk Wilkinson
So so let's I want to start. Well, let's start first of all by telling the DTH listeners what is US United and
00:05:59:23 - 00:06:07:04
Wilk Wilkinson
how did you find yourself getting into this bridge building and unity space?
00:06:07:05 - 00:06:15:01
Adam Mizel
So US United is a movement for unity, it gives the Americans the tools and resources they need to reunite the country. It's short and sweet,
00:06:15:01 - 00:06:26:20
Adam Mizel
simple. It's not coming from politicians, really, not from media right now. It's up to us, the everyday Americans at a grassroots level, to take the steps, make the changes that are going to reunite the country.
00:06:27:01 - 00:06:29:13
Adam Mizel
And what that means to us,
00:06:29:13 - 00:06:49:19
Adam Mizel
is that I think we define stronger. The problem is so many people live and work and social media and ever shrinking bubbles and outside of those bubbles, process the world and categorize the world with labels. Again, none of that is bad, but the result of it is, I don't know very many people who will sympathize or compromise on the label.
00:06:49:22 - 00:07:09:07
Adam Mizel
You do that with another person, and we've lost the ability to really interact with people with different experiences and backgrounds than our own. And if you don't do that, you don't see the gray, you don't see different ideas. And it's hard to find common ground because the way you and I are going to understand anything and maybe modify our view, is because we hear about someone's personal experience.
00:07:09:07 - 00:07:26:15
Adam Mizel
We see through their eyes, we understand what they're seeing and say, hey, I never thought of that because we are going to think through our own lenses and we need other lenses. And so at the chorus, United is trying to do that. We do a lot with digital connectivity. We do it in LA online, we do it in person with real experiences and events.
00:07:26:15 - 00:07:29:00
Adam Mizel
And one of the things we've created,
00:07:29:00 - 00:07:48:22
Adam Mizel
is something called the Sheriff's Unity Network. We've been working with sheriffs along the way. There's 3086 of them in this country, almost all of them elected, and they're a backbone of a network. They build unity. And so we decided to get on a road trip and go across the country and visit a sheriff or two in every state, just about in America.
00:07:49:00 - 00:07:49:13
Adam Mizel
And,
00:07:49:13 - 00:07:59:15
Adam Mizel
hear what they have to say. I understand the work they're doing and go with them into their communities and talk to everyday Americans. And we've talked to hundreds of people over the last month and,
00:07:59:15 - 00:08:08:05
Adam Mizel
I think 22 states so far. So we're not yet halfway through our trip living, learning, and finding out what Americans think and believe and what they're doing to build unity.
00:08:08:07 - 00:08:09:00
Wilk Wilkinson
Awesome,
00:08:09:00 - 00:08:10:05
Wilk Wilkinson
so, Adam,
00:08:10:05 - 00:08:14:14
Wilk Wilkinson
let's get into that a little bit because because how did you decide,
00:08:14:14 - 00:08:17:01
Wilk Wilkinson
that sheriffs were going to be a
00:08:17:01 - 00:08:20:00
Wilk Wilkinson
kind of a bridging pin in, in,
00:08:20:00 - 00:08:23:19
Wilk Wilkinson
taking us united and and getting into,
00:08:23:19 - 00:08:29:13
Wilk Wilkinson
different communities and things like that. I know, I know, it's wonderful because sheriffs are elected, but
00:08:29:13 - 00:08:34:04
Wilk Wilkinson
how did that, I guess how where did that idea kind of manifest from?
00:08:34:04 - 00:08:36:11
Wilk Wilkinson
Or what was the genesis for that?
00:08:36:12 - 00:08:48:13
Adam Mizel
Well, I believe everything happens for a reason along the way. And one of my co-founders and now really close friends, a gentleman named Sheriff Chris Swanson in Genesee County, Michigan, where Flint is,
00:08:48:13 - 00:08:57:03
Adam Mizel
and I met him early in the journey that eventually led to us united. We hit it off along with our third co-founder and started doing all kinds of things.
00:08:57:03 - 00:09:03:15
Adam Mizel
And through that, I mean, I said I didn't know what a sheriff was and what the different of a sheriff and a police officer was.
00:09:03:15 - 00:09:16:15
Adam Mizel
four and a half years ago. And I think that's true of most Americans today. And that's not a criticism nor a bad thing. But we started to do events with Chris and with other sheriffs and build relationships.
00:09:16:17 - 00:09:35:21
Adam Mizel
I started to see, here's a network of people who are elected. Yes, they are in law enforcement, but because they're elected, they spend so much time building bridges and bringing their communities together because they report to the people. They don't report to a mayor or city council governor. They report to the people. And it took me a little while.
00:09:35:21 - 00:09:52:10
Adam Mizel
Sometimes you're - I’m not the smartest tack in the bunch, but I was like, we kept doing more. And I'm like, this is an interesting group. And so we let me after last year, we did the 12 sheriffs all on our holiday spectacular in December for the fifth time. I said we should do more. And that led to this idea of the Sheriff Unity Network.
00:09:52:10 - 00:09:53:06
Adam Mizel
And,
00:09:53:06 - 00:10:04:05
Adam Mizel
it's spread like wildfire. I mean, the sheriffs love it. As we go around talking to people, and we've hit into a vein that I think is really powerful. So that's where the idea came from.
00:10:04:05 - 00:10:06:19
Wilk Wilkinson
that's fantastic. I mean, one of the, one of the great things,
00:10:06:19 - 00:10:08:04
Wilk Wilkinson
with, with sheriffs being
00:10:08:04 - 00:10:09:22
Wilk Wilkinson
an elected position,
00:10:09:22 - 00:10:17:05
Wilk Wilkinson
but it's not a Partizan elected position, which is what I really like about this concept. Right? I mean, and,
00:10:17:05 - 00:10:18:22
Wilk Wilkinson
or it certainly shouldn't be,
00:10:18:22 - 00:10:23:21
Wilk Wilkinson
I mean, I don't think we want to elect the sheriff or of our,
00:10:23:21 - 00:10:26:12
Wilk Wilkinson
respective counties on, on,
00:10:26:12 - 00:10:29:13
Wilk Wilkinson
whether they're a Democrat or a Republican or an independent,
00:10:29:13 - 00:10:31:00
Wilk Wilkinson
sheriffs now.
00:10:31:00 - 00:10:35:16
Wilk Wilkinson
Well, I would contend that that most politicians should be serving all the people.
00:10:35:16 - 00:10:38:23
Wilk Wilkinson
A sheriff is definitely one of those people that no matter,
00:10:38:23 - 00:10:41:10
Wilk Wilkinson
no matter what it is,
00:10:41:10 - 00:10:43:17
Wilk Wilkinson
whatever situation that they are in,
00:10:43:17 - 00:10:50:16
Wilk Wilkinson
the, the whole equal protection under the law thing has to come into place, and it's not like I'm going to treat you differently because you're a,
00:10:50:16 - 00:10:54:23
Wilk Wilkinson
a Republican or treat you different because you're a Democrat or whatever.
00:10:55:01 - 00:11:00:09
Wilk Wilkinson
Sheriff, more than anybody I think needs to be one of those people that's completely,
00:11:00:09 - 00:11:01:08
Wilk Wilkinson
outside of,
00:11:01:08 - 00:11:05:21
Wilk Wilkinson
of partizan bounds. Hey, I want to I want to go back to to something and then,
00:11:05:21 - 00:11:07:10
Wilk Wilkinson
maybe we can talk a little bit about that,
00:11:07:10 - 00:11:11:00
Wilk Wilkinson
more again. But I want to go back to something that you had said,
00:11:11:00 - 00:11:11:11
Wilk Wilkinson
earlier.
00:11:11:11 - 00:11:19:11
Wilk Wilkinson
Adam and and I want to talk about labels because because you had mentioned labels and the idea that that,
00:11:19:11 - 00:11:27:10
Wilk Wilkinson
people continue to put labels on people. It's something that I've talked about quite a bit on the Derate the Hate podcast and how,
00:11:27:10 - 00:11:38:06
Wilk Wilkinson
especially when it comes to politics. Right. But people people tend to put other people in boxes and then put a label on that box and then put them up on that shelf and, and until they're needed,
00:11:38:06 - 00:11:41:00
Wilk Wilkinson
and then that's when the pandering begins and they,
00:11:41:00 - 00:11:42:23
Wilk Wilkinson
talk to me a little bit about,
00:11:42:23 - 00:11:49:19
Wilk Wilkinson
what you seen in your travels and, and how, how ugly that whole concept
00:11:49:19 - 00:11:52:14
Wilk Wilkinson
of labels or if you want to get into,
00:11:52:14 - 00:11:53:23
Wilk Wilkinson
be it,
00:11:53:23 - 00:11:55:22
Wilk Wilkinson
identity politics, which is,
00:11:55:22 - 00:11:58:16
Wilk Wilkinson
probably the biggest instigator of,
00:11:58:16 - 00:12:00:13
Wilk Wilkinson
labels and things.
00:12:00:13 - 00:12:08:06
Wilk Wilkinson
this is one of the big problems that I see in our country is that whole labels, boxes, pandering,
00:12:08:06 - 00:12:12:02
Wilk Wilkinson
things like that. And it's just it doesn't really serve anybody well.
00:12:12:02 - 00:12:18:09
Wilk Wilkinson
And, and it just, it does more to separate us than bring us together. So talk a little bit more about,
00:12:18:09 - 00:12:21:12
Wilk Wilkinson
dive a little bit deeper into that labels thing.
00:12:21:14 - 00:12:44:10
Adam Mizel
Well, you're spot on. I mean it's it's I start as I said before, it's not a bad thing that people label. We have to process an incredibly complicated world. And the bad thing is that we assume we know everything from those labels. And that's where the key is having those conversations so that you don't assume you can judge judge the book by the cover.
00:12:44:12 - 00:12:50:15
Adam Mizel
And what I can tell you, and talking to hundreds of people, like when we started Michigan, when I went to Texas to practice all these,
00:12:50:15 - 00:13:02:21
Adam Mizel
made it up the northeast and in Boston today, everybody that I've spoken with, almost everybody understands that. They're like, we don't want to be divided. We don't want to be assuming we know everything.
00:13:03:02 - 00:13:03:21
Adam Mizel
We need
00:13:03:21 - 00:13:25:10
Adam Mizel
common words. We need to communicate more with everybody. Even if they have, we think they're different than us. We need to respect people. We need to have those discussions and get beneath the label. And I've been I've been inspired and surprised and inspired by that. But that's what I've heard. And I've talked to people who've you looked at them, they said, take your label on the red or pick your label on the blue.
00:13:25:12 - 00:13:27:19
Adam Mizel
And sometimes I got to help a little bit of,
00:13:27:19 - 00:13:34:21
Adam Mizel
the hell those people don't listen. Those people have an opinion. I'm like, well, if you're saying that you're part of the problem, right, right. That,
00:13:34:21 - 00:13:42:14
Adam Mizel
and so we talk a lot about that. But I think people want to break through those labels and they all talk about we need to communicate and they all complain.
00:13:42:14 - 00:13:53:08
Adam Mizel
The technology and social media has exacerbated labels. And so I got a lot of hope that people are are actually more aligned on this than you might have thought before I went on this track.
00:13:53:10 - 00:14:06:18
Wilk Wilkinson
Yeah. Well, and that's great. I mean, that that is so encouraging to hear that, Adam, because one of the things I mean, one of the things that I always go back to when I think about the labels and, and the problems that arise because of the labels,
00:14:06:18 - 00:14:09:10
Wilk Wilkinson
I mean, and I'll agree with you in the sense that,
00:14:09:10 - 00:14:16:11
Wilk Wilkinson
labels aren't always bad, but it seems like the only time those labels are highlighted is for bad reasons.
00:14:16:13 - 00:14:25:18
Wilk Wilkinson
But the big thing that stands out for me when it comes to labels or identity politics or things like that, is the idea that no individual group,
00:14:25:18 - 00:14:27:21
Wilk Wilkinson
is a is a monolith,
00:14:27:21 - 00:14:45:19
Wilk Wilkinson
And far too often when when people are using these labels, they're then made to believe or people are made to believe when speaking about that label, that everybody within their is a is a monolith when it comes to the way that they're thinking and the way they're doing things.
00:14:45:21 - 00:15:15:19
Wilk Wilkinson
When that happens. And this is where we run into the biggest problems when when that happens, it tends to set people on a course of, well, these people that label things this way. So since they think this way, I'm not going to have anything to do with them. I'm not going to have anything to do with them. I'm going to stay over here in my silo because this is where I'm comfortable, and I'm going to stay away from those people because there are those people and they all think this way.
00:15:15:20 - 00:15:21:18
Wilk Wilkinson
It's a it's a horrible way to think about it because and this is,
00:15:21:18 - 00:15:43:11
Wilk Wilkinson
when we think about siloing and separation and, and, and things like that, I mean, I always go back to and it's, it's one of the best lines that I've ever heard since I started doing this work in the depolarization space was from Monica Guzman when she says those who are underrepresented in our life will be overrepresented in our minds and in our imaginations.
00:15:43:13 - 00:16:04:02
Wilk Wilkinson
And and then I take that one step further in the sense that, okay, if those people in that particular group or people that I'm going to stay away from now, I'm going to continue to make up things in my mind about them, in my mind and in my imagination. And those things are typically not the best things. Right.
00:16:04:04 - 00:16:10:20
Wilk Wilkinson
It's not like we're thinking, oh yeah, those people are awesome. They're baking cakes and they're playing on the swingset with their kids and and they're doing all that.
00:16:10:20 - 00:16:21:08
Wilk Wilkinson
that that's not the one thing that we're thinking. We're thinking the bad things. And then all of a sudden that imagination part that we're using is turning them into a worse person than they actually are.
00:16:21:14 - 00:16:41:21
Wilk Wilkinson
So we're inclined to stay further away from them. The further separated we are, it's this perpetual exponential cycle of ugliness that that just continues to get worse, worse, and worse until it finally becomes a situation where we hate them and we're going to deal with that hate through anger and violence. It's a big old mess.
00:16:41:23 - 00:16:43:13
Adam Mizel
Yes, but I
00:16:43:13 - 00:17:02:02
Adam Mizel
will give you hope. This so I don't think that is as prevalent as you fear from all of my travels and conversations. And I think part of why we started United was to give people tools and resources to break away from that, because you got to create these opportunities to interact with those labels. Right.
00:17:02:02 - 00:17:02:17
Adam Mizel
And so,
00:17:02:17 - 00:17:19:23
Adam Mizel
for instance, we do something every month, the first Thursday of the month, we do a big zoom. We call it 30 for us. Or anyone in America can join. We provide a all structure in a topic, but then we put you in a breakout room with five random Americans. I don't know who you're talking to either, but I just got you out of your bubble and out of your comfort zone talking to people.
00:17:19:23 - 00:17:37:07
Adam Mizel
And that's a beauty. That's where technology can be terrific, right? Similarly, we do all kinds of events, like from service days to other kinds of events. If you volunteer with someone, you don't ask them whether they vote in red or blue. You don't ask or they think on abortion or drugs. You ask them for life and you work together.
00:17:37:07 - 00:17:56:15
Adam Mizel
And then if you get to those conversations, the labels God, right. So we we try to do more and more things like that. We use sports. I mean, I think sports is one of the unifier. And we can be rivals on the field and rivals cheering, but we can come together off of it and find through our love of whatever that sport is, common ground.
00:17:56:17 - 00:18:16:18
Adam Mizel
Then the label disappears. So you got to find those resources and those tools to break the cycle that you just described. And what I'm hearing for everyone is either we're doing it or we want to do it. Please show us how to do it. And I think that's a big piece of fighting culture and media that is not in telling that story.
00:18:16:20 - 00:18:33:09
Adam Mizel
That's right. We and others have to tell those stories. That's why we're on the road. That's why we're posting all this on social media. That's why we're making a movie about it, because you got to show a different narrative, because then people realize they're not alone in this view. That's why most people agree with them. And then people do a little more and a little more.
00:18:33:11 - 00:18:43:13
Wilk Wilkinson
No, that's absolutely right. I mean, one of the big things and and you kind of alluded to it a couple times here, but but one of the big things that I've learned doing this work, Adam, and this is,
00:18:43:13 - 00:18:52:02
Wilk Wilkinson
to your point, and you've seen several examples of it in your travels, is we are not nearly as divided as those in politics.
00:18:52:02 - 00:18:54:05
Wilk Wilkinson
And those in the media would have you believe,
00:18:54:05 - 00:19:07:14
Wilk Wilkinson
when when it comes down to Main Street and kitchen table talks and, and living room conversations, things like this that we are doing, and when we get together in these communities, we're finding, or,
00:19:07:14 - 00:19:11:22
Wilk Wilkinson
sometimes it just takes a little nudge. And you talked about the tools and the structure and things like that.
00:19:12:04 - 00:19:19:01
Wilk Wilkinson
One of the big things that Braver Angels that we do is we provide an excellent structure by which people can bring,
00:19:19:01 - 00:19:24:21
Wilk Wilkinson
come together within their communities, and they then find out that,
00:19:24:21 - 00:19:30:01
Wilk Wilkinson
all these things that I'm hearing about this particular group is is not actually true.
00:19:30:01 - 00:19:31:01
Wilk Wilkinson
the things
00:19:31:01 - 00:19:32:05
Wilk Wilkinson
I'm told I can't,
00:19:32:05 - 00:19:38:16
Wilk Wilkinson
I can't possibly be friends with this particular person or this particular group because they think this way.
00:19:38:18 - 00:19:48:20
Wilk Wilkinson
But the reality is, is when you do bring these people, I love that. I want to hear more about that. 30 for us, too, because, it just sounds like a fascinating, easy,
00:19:48:20 - 00:19:54:14
Wilk Wilkinson
structure and, and and. Yeah, that's that's the problem is, again,
00:19:54:14 - 00:19:55:14
Wilk Wilkinson
when we think about,
00:19:55:14 - 00:20:06:07
Wilk Wilkinson
we are not as a, as a people, we are not as a country, nearly as divided as the politicians and the media would have you believe, and how important.
00:20:06:07 - 00:20:12:17
Wilk Wilkinson
And that stresses the importance of what we do in this, this depolarization and and bridge building space. But
00:20:12:17 - 00:20:23:07
Wilk Wilkinson
the idea that we must have the right structure and show people that there are tools available to them to actually make this happen because it's not,
00:20:23:07 - 00:20:29:04
Wilk Wilkinson
this is not a problem. Polarization. It a polarization is obviously not a problem that the government's got to fix.
00:20:29:09 - 00:20:34:04
Wilk Wilkinson
I mean, we we just know that it's we, the people that are going to make this happen.
00:20:34:04 - 00:20:35:10
Wilk Wilkinson
I love the old phrase I was,
00:20:35:10 - 00:20:37:08
Wilk Wilkinson
spent so many years in business
00:20:37:08 - 00:20:42:20
Wilk Wilkinson
and one of the things that, that we do here quite often is you cannot fix a problem with the same,
00:20:42:20 - 00:20:44:20
Wilk Wilkinson
thinking or the same ideas that created it.
00:20:45:00 - 00:20:49:02
Wilk Wilkinson
Right. And for people to believe that,
00:20:49:02 - 00:20:51:09
Wilk Wilkinson
there's going to be some,
00:20:51:09 - 00:20:55:03
Wilk Wilkinson
politician that's going to swoop in and and fix this thing.
00:20:55:03 - 00:20:56:21
Wilk Wilkinson
It's just not going to happen,
00:20:56:21 - 00:21:03:14
Wilk Wilkinson
when I think of another fantastic line from a great friend of mine at Braver Angels, John Wood Jr, says,
00:21:03:15 - 00:21:23:06
Wilk Wilkinson
polarization is the one problem that insurers other all other problems will not be solved. Right? Well, we can't continue to believe that that our problems as a people are going to be solved by the government, especially when those who represent us are far too often not the best of us. Talk a little bit about that.
00:21:23:08 - 00:21:39:21
Adam Mizel
Well, sure. Well, I mean, first of all, I really do think, and this will sound negative for a second, the government is a reflection of where our culture is and who we are as a people. At that moment in time, we get the government we deserve and we ask for, for sure,
00:21:39:21 - 00:21:41:21
Adam Mizel
so we can bash it all we want.
00:21:41:21
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