Highlights and notes from this video:
We all have to live with Three Conundrums:
We have to take mental shortcuts to function, so we do, but we don’t have to do so ALL the time
We have two systems of thinking – fast – autopilot, and slow – deliberate
Problems arise when we make big, important decisions with the autopilot system that is designed for fast decisions
A common fast thinking decision is “like-me” or “not-like-me” (my group, not my group, friend or foe?)
Us-vs-Them thinking builds a view of reality where members of a group are seen as sharing multiple characteristics, simply by belonging to that group. Like a one-size-fits-all caricature. You can see this in use with label statements like “Republicans are …” or “Men are all …”.
Monkey Island research facility – 1200 same species monkeys, self-organized into 6 competing groups
Orange shirt, Green shirt study– children randomly assigned to a group, then describe behavior from a drawing they see
This Us-vs-Them division can be encouraged with stories and images. It has been used for centuries.
The internet has made it incredibly more powerful – able to create polarization much faster.
Here is the full episode:
Kuder Consulting Group says:
Watch the episode at: https://www.pbs.org/video/us-vs-them-2t0c0s/