It's All the Rage!
Daniel Karslake - Director / Writer / Producer
Feature documentary in production
When it comes to politics in the U.S., most Americans today are both enraged and exhausted.
Half of us won’t state our point of view publicly because we are afraid of being punished, and 43% of us have cut off someone in our own family because we found their politics offensive.
Contempt in the political sphere is so extreme, in fact, that 83% of Americans feel the country is more divided than at any other time in their lifetime and that increases to 92% for people over 65.
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Even more sobering, three out of four Americans say they are “mad as hell” about it, and 70% believe our democracy is under serious threat.​​
WHAT IS GOING ON? How did we get here? … And how do we get out?​​
IT’S ALL THE RAGE! is a feature documentary project that is taking a hard look at the sources of today’s extreme social and political polarization in the U.S. and at a number of viable solutions. Inspired by Amanda Ripley’s landmark book, "High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out", we’re examining the role of partisan media companies, what Ripley has dubbed “conflict entrepreneurs,” and exploring how they monetize our separation, fear, and outrage for serious profit. We’re looking at the major role that humiliation plays in polarization as well, and at how moving from listening toward understanding can go a long way to bring disparate sides back together again.​​
Featuring stories of everyday Americans who are working to bridge the ever-widening gap between the Right and the Left, we are highlighting a number of incredible individuals who are addressing these polarized times by taking action. People, organizations, and even countries, can escape high conflict. Our protagonists are working to diminish outrage and contempt and replace them with respect and dignity in order to make conflict useful again, rather than toxic.
