Episodes
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Are we really trapped in a permanent political doom loop, or is the two-party duopoly actually more vulnerable than it looks?
We often look at heavily gerrymandered, "safe" districts and hyper-partisan outrage and assume nothing can change until we get massive, far-off structural reform. But what if the major parties have aggressively optimized the system for a zero-sum, two-player game—and that very optimization has left them completely exposed to independent challenges?
This week, David sits down with political campaign consultant Nathan Smolensky to break down the raw, data-driven mechanics of the independent landscape. Looking past the national presidential spectacle, Nathan explains why local and state races are a completely different playground for independent success, how candidates can flip the "spoiler effect" narrative on its head, and how scalable new campaign technologies are dismantling the traditional fundraising barrier to entry.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Today we have a special bonus episode for the Outrage Overload community. We are sharing the premiere episode of a brand-new, six-part documentary series from our sister show in The Democracy Group network, Future Hindsight.
The series is called Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising.
About This Special Episode: In 2008, a Wall Street crash gutted millions of lives. It took until 2011 for the Left to answer—a call to protest went out, thousands came, and they tried to build an anti-capitalist village in Zuccotti Park. Told through the raw, unfiltered voices of the activists who camped there for almost two months, this series gets inside a movement that grew fast, felt transcendent and chaotic at once, and then violently flamed out.
Want to hear the rest of the series? Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising is a six-part weekly series. To hear Episode 2 and follow the rest of the journey, subscribe to Future Hindsight on your favorite podcast app or visit FutureHindsight.com.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Missing episodes?
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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, national pride has hit a 25-year record low. The milestone itself has fractured into institutional tugs-of-war, with the official, non-partisan congressional commission America250 running parallel to Freedom 250, a heavily branded, politically aligned initiative launched out of the Trump White House. When even a milestone national birthday is split by competing political branding, it is easy to see why so many Americans feel exhausted, cynical, and ready to tune out.
But opting out cedes the very narrative we need to reclaim.
In this special episode of Outrage Overload, host David Beckemeyer steps back from the constant cycles of toxic polarization and media manipulation to explore the enduring power of America's foundational ideals: liberty, equality, and self-government.
Through a series of thoughtful conversations with historians, political scientists, advocates, and students, we explore whether this anniversary is a celebration of a finished, perfect nation, or an invitation to sit with the uncomfortable friction of an ongoing democratic experiment.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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In this episode, we sit down with Aemula co-founder Don Templeman to break down the hidden architecture of media manipulation, audience capture, and algorithmic polarization. Drawing from his background in finance, Don explains why fighting human nature doesn't work—and how we can build open-source systems where gaming the algorithm actually results in a healthier, less polarized information landscape.
Whether you're a reader exhausted by ad-driven rage-bait or a writer looking to see if your ideas can genuinely bridge deep ideological divides, this episode pulls back the curtain on what it takes to shift media from emotional reaction to analytical reflection.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Why does our modern political landscape feel so intensely divided, and why does it seem like the media environment is constantly dialed up to eleven?
In this special crossover episode, David sits down with Michael Baranowski, host of The Politics Guys and fellow member of The Democracy Group podcast network. Moving past the usual surface-level punditry, they pull back the curtain on the "outrage industry" to diagnose the systemic, cognitive, and commercial forces driving us apart.
David and Michael skip the usual warm-ups and dive straight into the structural incentives that prioritize clicks over nuance, the profound psychological misperceptions we hold about the "other side," and—most importantly—the role we play as consumers in feeding this ecosystem.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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The U.S. House of Representatives used to pass roughly 900 bills per session in the 1950s. Today, that number has plummeted to just 50 or 60. Our legislative branch isn’t just slow—it is structurally paralyzed.
In this episode, we look past the cultural shouting match to expose the structural design flaws fueling our polarization. From sweetheart gerrymandering that leaves 80% of congressional districts completely non-competitive, to the financial incentives driving both major parties to abandon the center, we look at the reality of the "exhausted majority."
To discuss a radical attempt to fill this vacuum, we sit down with political scientist Paul Chapman. He is the founder of the CenterCratic Party, a brand-new third-party movement trying to do something entirely unique: build a political tribe out of the 45% of Americans who now identify as politically homeless.
We push into the hard mechanics of his strategy, the realities of voter tribalism, and the party’s nine guiding principles of governance.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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We tend to think of a nation’s strength in concrete terms—the size of its military, the reach of its laws, or the stability of its economy. But this special audio documentary episode of Outrage Overload pulls back the curtain on the illusion of government permanence to reveal a terrifyingly fragile truth: what if the true foundation of state power is entirely invisible? We explore a provocative perspective on what actually holds a society together, challenging the idea that brute force or legal systems are enough to keep the peace when something deeper begins to rot.
The episode dives into the unsettling moments when the official version of reality completely fractures. We look at how major, shocking events can be instantly dismissed by millions as total fiction, forcing us to ask why we can no longer agree on basic facts. Renowned scholar Dr. Sheila Jasanoff joins the conversation to turn our understanding of truth upside down, revealing a hidden prerequisite for consensus that modern society seems to have lost. It raises an urgent question: if evidence can no longer convince us, what can?
We also take you to the frontlines of non-compliance, tracing the friction of the Bundy standoffs and the world of libertarian resistance with Dan Behrman. These stories expose a radical reality about where power truly resides, suggesting that authority does not flow from top-down government institutions, but from a much closer, more familiar source. When that localized compliance disappears, the levers of control may be far emptier than they appear.
Our current institutions were designed for a world that no longer exists, and they are now buckling under modern pressures they were never built to sustain. This documentary explores whether we are living through the quiet expiration of the social contract, building to a haunting conclusion about what happens to a state when its core legitimacy is gone.
Featured in This Episode:
• Dr. Sheila Jasanoff – Pforzheimer Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and a pioneer in Science and Technology Studies who explores the intersection of technology, law, and modern democracy.
• Dan Behrman – Libertarian author and advocate dedicated to promoting the philosophy that "Taxation Is Theft" through his books and political platforms.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Why is it so easy to dismiss "the other side" as irrational or heartless? According to researcher Lura Forcum, the answer lies in a cognitive process called mentalization—and more importantly, what happens when our brains decide to turn it off.
In this episode, we explore the science of how we perceive the minds of others. We dive into the "mentalization gap," a psychological phenomenon that allows us to empathize deeply with our own group while subtly "dehumanizing" everyone else.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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In this episode, we dive deep into the historical and psychological drivers of political polarization with Dr. Allison Ralph, head of Cohesion Strategy.
Allison shares how ancient metaphors, like the "body politic," are still being used today to justify othering and the dangerous trend of social purification. We move beyond the idea of "mushy middle" dialogue to discuss productive conflict—the essential, often difficult work of building pluralistic solutions and strategic coalitions even when we fundamentally disagree.
If you’ve ever felt that bridging divides feels like a "kumbaya" fantasy, this conversation is for you. We explore why action-based bridging and collective action are the most powerful tools we have for increasing community trust and protecting our democracy.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Corey Nathan joins the show to deconstruct the "Rage Merchant" business model and explore how we can strengthen our civic muscle in an era of hyper-polarization. Corey is the host of Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killing Each Other and a partner in The Democracy Group podcast network.
In this conversation, we move past the surface-level bickering of the news cycle to examine why our brains are often more attracted to the dopamine hit of outrage than the slow work of nuance. We discuss the "Exhausted Majority"—the vast segment of the population that feels alienated by extreme rhetoric—and offer tactical ways to navigate difficult conversations by focusing on curiosity rather than conflict.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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In this episode, we step back from the headlines to conduct a psychological case study on how we form and protect our worldviews. We’re joined by Sidney Pines, whose journey away from the mainstream consensus offers a window into the information ecosystems that define our modern era.
Rather than debating specific claims, we use the "Three Cs" framework—Comprehension, Control, and Community—to analyze the universal human needs that draw individuals toward alternative media systems. We explore how a "cognitive vacuum" created by sensationalist media can lead to a search for certainty, often filled by grand narratives that trade messy realities for clear, singular explanations.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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The New Counterculture of Conversation
In a world where political labels have become shields and social media is a minefield of "rhetorical grenades," Monica Guzman argues that the most radical act you can perform is to stay curious. As the Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, Monica has seen firsthand how fear has become the "archvillain" of American discourse.
In this episode, we dismantle the failing left-right paradigm and explore why bridge-building isn't about being "nice" or "middle-of-the-road"—it’s about having the courage to withstand intense disagreement without losing your convictions.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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We are joined by Dr. Caleb Scharf, NASA Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, to explore the profound implications of the Fermi Paradox. Why, in a galaxy of hundreds of billions of stars, do we find only silence? We move beyond the "geek wonderland" of physics and biology to examine the "Overview Effect"—the shift in perspective that occurs when we realize just how fragile our shared existence truly is.
If humanity is the first species to face the conundrum of its own survival, we have a unique moral responsibility to look past the outrage of the day and safeguard the future of life on Earth.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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In an age where algorithms are designed to confirm your existing beliefs, finding a shared sense of reality has become nearly impossible. Host David Beckemeyer welcomes Kristin Jackson, co-founder of the Freespoke search engine alternative, to discuss a platform built to help users break out of the echo chamber. Jackson shares that up to 80% of the population has given up on news because they "couldn't figure out what the truth was".
This vital conversation explores the vision behind Freespoke and its mission to deliver unbiased news and help you find the full story.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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After seven years working in traditional, formal "bridge-building" spaces, K Scarry realized that the people who most needed to connect were the ones least likely to attend a scheduled "dialogue event." Her solution? Move the conversation to where people already go naturally.
In this episode, K Scarry joins David to discuss her journey from civic engagement professional to neighborhood bar owner. We explore how "Third Spaces" serve as essential training grounds for civic grace, the "musculature" of empathy, and the challenge of maintaining your values while staying open to those you disagree with.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Is the "move to the center" vs. "lean left" debate a false choice?
Following recent election cycles, the dominant advice for Democrats has been to moderate their cultural messaging and pivot to the middle—a strategy championed by the October 2025 Deciding to Win report. Conversely, many argue the party should double down on a bold, progressive populist agenda to mobilize the base.
In this episode, we challenge this entire left-versus-center framework with Frank A. Spring, Chief of Research at Altum Insight and Managing Partner at Undaunted Ventures.
Through deep qualitative research, Frank discovered that voters are "politically heterodox"—they don't fit into the neat ideological boxes we’ve built for them. We explore why the real crisis isn't "ideological excess," but "narrative confusion." Voters might know the party is "for diversity," but they often don't know what a Democratic vision of governance actually feels like for their daily lives.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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We talk about polarization in terms of media, algorithms, and politics. But what if we’ve simply forgotten how to sit down with people who aren’t like us?
In this episode, David sits down with Tim Jones, founder of Longer Tables, a real-world initiative that brings strangers together over shared meals to rebuild social trust and human connection.
Tim argues that humans are “slow-cooked.” Trust, belonging, and meaningful relationships don’t scale at the speed of technology—and that mismatch may be driving much of our social division.
This conversation explores what happens when you remove job titles, politics, and performance from the table—and what it might take to design connection in a polarized world.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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Episode DescriptionHow does political identity shape what we believe—and whether we accept democracy itself? In this episode, David speaks with political scientist Timothy Redmond, author of Political Tribalism in America: How Hyper-Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy—and How to Fix It.
Redmond reveals how modern politics has reversed the democratic ideal: instead of forming views and then choosing a party, many people adopt a party identity first and align their beliefs accordingly. This fuels motivated reasoning, selective information consumption, and perceptual biases that make people on opposite sides experience the same events in radically different ways.
The conversation explores "losers' consent"—the principle that democracy depends on losing sides accepting electoral outcomes and winners governing with restraint. Redmond draws on an ancient Greek myth from the Oresteia to show how societies break cycles of retaliation through shared rules and third-party judgment, offering a powerful metaphor for modern political conflict.
Why do so many people believe the media is biased against them? Redmond discusses the hostile media effect, showing that people across the political spectrum perceive neutral coverage as slanted—suggesting that perceived bias often comes from our expectations, not the reporting itself.
Throughout, Redmond offers practical tools for clearer thinking: recognizing cognitive biases, evaluating political arguments, distinguishing fact from opinion, and resisting outrage-driven media. A calm, research-based conversation about polarization, democracy, and how to think more clearly in an age of tribal politics.
GuestTimothy Redmond – Political scientist and author of Political Tribalism in America: How Hyper-Partisanship Dumbs Down Democracy—and How to Fix It
Excerpts from The Oresteia (2014), originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Source: Drama on 3: Aeschylus’s Oresteia.Adaptations by: Simon Scardifield (Agamemnon), Ed Hime (The Libation Bearers), and Rebecca Lenkiewicz (The Furies).Direction: Sasha Yevtushenko and Marc Beeby.Used under Fair Use for the purposes of illustrationText me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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What begins as a documentary about racial justice in Omaha becomes something far more personal.
Filmmaker Nick Beaulieu joins Outrage Overload to discuss My Omaha, a film that follows his effort to document activism in his hometown while navigating a deeply strained relationship with his terminally ill father, a staunch pro-Trump conservative.
Rather than trying to change minds, My Omaha explores what it takes to stay in relationship across political, racial, and generational divides. In this conversation, Nick reflects on trust, identity, social media, and how lessons from racial justice organizing shaped the way he tried to understand his father before it was too late.
This episode is about family, polarization, and what happens when the story you’re telling changes you in the process.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
-
Why are so many people exhausted, cynical, or disengaged from politics — even as the stakes keep rising?
In this episode of Outrage Overload, David Beckemeyer is joined by journalist and author Cameron Cowan to explore the deeper forces driving generational inequality, institutional distrust, and political disengagement in the United States.
Cameron is the author of America’s Lost Generation, which examines how economic change, labor markets, and policy decisions have reshaped opportunity for younger Americans who did what they were told and still found themselves falling behind.
Rather than focusing on daily outrage or partisan blame, this conversation looks at how lived experience — not ideology alone — fuels cynicism, burnout, and withdrawal from civic life. David and Cameron discuss what happens when institutions stop feeling accountable, how concentrated power shapes public trust, and why disengagement may be as dangerous as polarization itself.
Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David
Support the show
Show Notes:
https://outrageoverload.net/
Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email [email protected]. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com
HOTLINE: 925-552-7885
Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode
If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.
Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverloadAlso check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.
Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.
Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.Outrage Overload, a Conners Institute podcast, is part of The Democr...
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