Renee Hobbs

Mistrust and distrust are rising because it’s so easy to profit from conflict. Conflict compels our attention: it’s hard to look away. Movies, TV shows, news and social media all amplify (and sometimes glorify) fear, hate, and violence. In many movies, vigilantes are depicted as heroes and people working businesses and social institutions are depicted as corrupt, motivated purely by self-interest.

We live in a world of media stories that promote us-vs-them tribal thinking that limits our ability to see the value of people and ideas outside of our comfort zone. But what happens when we change the stories we tell about conflict? What happens when we humanize “the other”? When we recognize the difference between productive conflict and harmful conflict, we can activate simple but powerful communication strategies that leverage conflict and transform it into courageous conversations that connect people and build a spirit of shared humanity.

Attendee Results:

• Learn how conflict entrepreneurs exploit conflict for fun and profit and how people are attracted to conflict and the drama it produces.
• Understand how media messages offer distorted depictions of conflict in ways that can interfere with our understanding of its power and transformative potential.
• Experience the joyful surprise of recognizing and resisting forms of us-vs-them thinking that are embedded in everyday life.
• Learn to apply critical questions when encountering conflict in social media, entertainment, the news, and in our relationships.
• Be part of a courageous community of people who recognize the power of productive conflict and resist pressures to amplify the harmful conflict that leads to fear, hate, and violence.