The Importance of Understanding Others in Political Conversations

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In my attempt to convince someone with alternate facts, I realized arguing wasn't effective. So, I shifted gears and asked him about his life and what fueled his beliefs. I discovered he lacked a sense of community and purpose. When he found something that made him feel like a hero in his own story, he clung to those beliefs. This made me question whether I am a worthy main character in my own life by believing certain things.

There was a time when Peter McIndoe might see you on the street and ask: have you ever seen a baby pigeon? If you said no, he’d probably grin and say, of course you haven’t, because birds are actually spy drones created by the US government – and they emerge “fully adult” from “the factory.” Peter McIndoe peddled a crazy idea – that all birds are drones created and monitored by the U.S. government. As ridiculous (and hilarious) as this sounds, Peter’s conspiracy theory that “Birds Aren’t Real” gained a huge following. In this episode, Peter discusses why he’s used the framework of a conspiracy theory to explore the "us-versus-them" mentality that is so pervasive in us humans. He also shares what he witnessed as he took his performance across the globe, and why he finds it more important than ever that we talk to each other with empathy even in the most absurd situations. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts