Panel 2 - On Good Conflict: What If We Called In, Rather Than Called Out?

Outrage and conflict have long offered an easy way to build political power for advocates on both the political right and left. While moral outrage is a critical motivator for change, being kept in a constant high state of tension and conflict by these forces has also served to divide us even further into smaller like-minded groups without the will or skill to courageously cross differences and build power for transformative social change. But although many of us fighting for justice and belonging are willing to express outrage, anger, and "call-outs" online, we often seem unable to engage in the direct conversation and healthy conflict that might foster solutions, understanding, and even solidarity with those who differ from us. This conversation will explore how we might engage in 'good conflict'—disputes that allow us to see the human in those with whom we disagree—as well as to uncover the ways that corporations strategically trigger our sense of outrage and injustice to keep us engaged longer online. How might an ethic of taking risks and "calling in" help bring nuance to the issues that matter to us most? And how might we grow belonging for all by reaching out directly to those who we do not understand?