The Better Conflict Year-in-Review - BCB #81

Our best issues on media, identity, conflict entrepreneurs, Israel/Palestine, and the fundamentals of conflict.

It’s been a big year for the BCB, with much growth and change. To wrap it up, we collected our most interesting issues of 2023, selecting both reader and editor favorites in five categories.

5. Media 

Media is where much of the culture war takes place, and favorable coverage is a contested prize.

Does Censorship Even Work?

Simply denying the other side the right to speak is a popular fantasy. But even when it becomes a reality, it often fails on its own terms.

Misinformation as the Symptom, not the Disease

A reader favorite. Maybe quarantining misinformation is only a band-aid solution, while the root cause is institutional mistrust.

4. Identity

The American conflict is riddled with clashes of identity, particularly in areas like race and LGBTQ+ rights.

Color Blindness and The Controversy Over What Can Be Said

The attempted canceling of Coleman Hughes’s defense of color blindness showcases the complexities of the affirmative action debate, and the defensive reactions to an important political discussion. 

Red is Divided Over LGBTQ+ Issues

One of our most popular issues asks a fundamental question: Where does Red stand on LGBTQ+ support? The short answer is that while support has generally increased over the decades, the transgender debate has created a rift.

3. Conflict Entrepreneurs 

Conflict entrepreneurs are individuals who escalate conflict for political benefit.

Jordan Peterson used to be a Peacemaker

Long before Jordan Peterson was drawn into the sensationalism of social media, the controversial scholar showed a careful understanding of conflict in his philosophical texts.

The Fall of Tucker Carlson, Conflict Entrepreneur

Tucker Carlson, once a primetime host, was booted from Fox News this year. Many hate him, but why do so many others love him?

2. Israel/Palestine

Quickly emerging as the defining conflict of 2023, the distant war in the Middle East is opening new fault lines in American politics.

The Israel/Palestine Conflict is Rearranging The Culture War

American Jews are increasingly aligning with Red, while deep divides are appearing within Blue.

Practicing Better Conflict in Times of War

Here’s a toolkit for those not directly involved – American bystanders who are watching a faraway war divide their communities at home.

1. Foundations 

One way or another, we touch on polarization every week; here are two issues devoted to understanding it.

What We Thought Polarization Was And What We Think It Is Now

Our understanding of polarization has evolved across three generations: from a disease of the elite, to mass affective polarization of citizens, to the use of polarization for political gain by conflict entrepreneurs.

What is Polarization Anyway?

What does this word even mean? We explore definitions of polarization, how it increases through escalation, and hint at a path forward.

A big thank you to all our readers for supporting our journey for another year. If you like our work, please share it — this is the number one thing you can do to ensure we can keep publishing.

We wish you all a wonderful new year ahead, filled with health and thriving. May all your conflicts be better conflicts!