Why Contempt Destroys Democracy and How to Push Back: Zachary Elwood

Oct 10, 2025

Zachary Elwood, an author and researcher on political polarization, delves into the destructive nature of contempt in American politics. He explains how disdain from both sides escalates conflict, fueling the belief that one's opponents are morally inferior. Elwood argues for the importance of distinguishing between political leaders and their supporters while emphasizing that liberal outrage can inadvertently strengthen divisive leaders. His personal journey reflects a shift from anger to reflection, urging listeners to reconsider their role in the current political climate.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Moralizing The Other Side Deepens Polarization

Political opponents are increasingly seen as immoral, deluded, and dangerous, which hardens positions and blocks compromise.
Zachary Elwood says this moralization fuels a self-reinforcing cycle of toxic conflict that undermines democracy.

ANECDOTE

Author's Personal Shift From Outrage To Reflection

Zachary Elwood admits he once lashed out online and insulted Trump supporters before changing his approach.
He describes lumping the entire other side together as a core driver of toxic polarization.

INSIGHT

Contempt Feeds The Opposing Movement

Contempt creates a feedback loop: insults beget insults and each side polarizes further.
Elwood argues reactive outrage can inadvertently strengthen the very leaders and movements critics oppose.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Liberals and conservatives are caught in a politically toxic feedback loop. Our guest, Zachary Elwood, argues that when people express contempt for those on the other side, they contribute to a cycle of conflict that weakens our nation.

Increasingly, Americans view polarization as a worsening crisis. Two-thirds say the political system is too divided to solve the nation’s problems. A New York Times - Siena University poll found that many more people now believe the system is broken compared with five years ago.

Elwood explains that Americans don't just disagree on issues. We increasingly view our political adversaries as immoral, deluded, and dangerous. Our fear and contempt affect our stances on issues, making us more hardened in our views and less willing to compromise.

Zachary Elwood is the author of two books on toxic polarization. The first was “Defusing American Anger”. On this podcast we hear all about his latest: “How Contempt Destroys Democracy”. The new book is written by a left-leaning author for members of his own side, who mostly believe that President Trump is a threat to democracy.

We discuss evidence that liberal disdain for conservatives and misconceptions about what they actually believe have increased support for Trump by right-leaning voters.

“I think it’s very important to separate leaders from people that vote for them,” Elwood tells How Do We Fix It? “My views of Trump have not changed. How I speak and think about people who voted for him have changed a lot.”

Toxic polarization means we see political opponents as part of a monolithic movement. “We end up seeing the entire other side as boiling down to the most extreme people on that side… and pointing out the worst antisocial and rude behaviors,” he says.

In this episode we discuss the work of More In Common and other groups that explore our misconceptions about political adversaries. We learn why it’s productive yet very difficult to criticize your own political tribe. We find out more about Braver Angels’ creative work to depolarize America.

Elwood mentions several authors who help him understand the true nature of political polarization:

Erica Etelson - “Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide”.

Taylor Dotson - “The Divide”.

Robert Tallise - “Sustaining Democracy”.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.