i'd be really interested to think about how we can use measures of perception gaps to try to create something like a more democratic view of ourselves. I'm reminded also of jokai bankler's work, who is one of the co directors to the brork in cline centre at harvard. He split the media eco system into two chunks that sort of like the right and then the rest. And it speaks to that perception gap within people's sides. It's really relevant to recognize the degree to which people feel pressure to conform their beliefs,. That might inhibit people from trying to reach out across the side, or create in pressure to to punish those who do. You. know,
What do you think the other side thinks? Guest Dan Vallone is the Director of More in Common U.S.A., an organization that’s been asking Democrats and Republicans that critical question. Their work has uncovered countless “perception gaps” in our understanding of each other. For example, Democrats think that about 30 percent of Republicans support "reasonable gun control," but in reality, it’s about 70 percent. Both Republicans and Democrats think that about 50 percent of the other side would feel that physical violence is justified in some situations, but the actual number for each is only about five percent. “Both sides are convinced that the majority of their political opponents are extremists,” says Dan. “And yet, that's just not true.” Social media encourages the most extreme views to speak the loudest and rise to the top—and it’s hard to start a conversation and work together when we’re all arguing with mirages. But Dan’s insights and the work of More in Common provide a hopeful guide to unraveling the distortions we’ve come to accept and correcting our foggy vision.