Monica Guzman urges curiosity and listening to bridge political divides at Olympia event

Monica Guzman, a journalist and author, told an Olympia audience that the country’s civic culture is “mired in fear and anger and division” and urged people to practice curiosity and listening as concrete ways to reduce polarization.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, Guzman said fear, exhaustion and constant attention demands help explain why political disagreement often becomes personal. “When fear comes into the brain, what our brain wants to do is deploy all its resources to getting rid of the threat or getting away from the threat,” she said, describing the brain’s fight‑flight‑freeze‑or‑fawn responses.

The evening opened with remarks from Mindy Ruhly, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, who welcomed more than 300 attendees and described the foundation’s work funding local organizations. Washington Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck introduced Guzman and the Project for Civic Health, a partnership of his office and several universities and foundations that summarized statewide roundtables in a report called Common Ground for the Common Good.

Guzman traced her shift from traditional reporting to community‑facing projects — she founded the newsletter The Evergray — explaining that pressure to take partisan sides made her seek ways to help people understand each other rather than deepen divides. She recommended concrete practices for individuals and communities: pause when a headline provokes a reactive response, try “steel‑manning” opposing views to locate the strongest argument on the other side, and practice disagreement in low‑risk settings with trusted people before engaging when stakes are higher.

On handling heated family interactions, Guzman suggested avoiding initiating combustible topics at high‑role family gatherings and encouraged the “engager” role: ask questions that invite explanation rather than lecturing. “Can you tell me more about that?” she advised as a simple tool that often lowers defenses.

Guzman also described Braver Angels’ Trustworthy Elections workshops, which paired equal numbers of participants from different political perspectives and produced over 700 points of common agreement. She summarized one consensus principle as “voting should be easy, cheating should be hard,” and said some workshop recommendations — such as making Election Day a holiday — attracted broad support in those sessions.

Audience questions ranged from structural critiques to practical techniques. In reply to a participant who called attention to systemic racism and concentrated media ownership, Guzman said human‑to‑human conversations remain a necessary tactic, even in systems that feel entrenched: “Can you pluck the human out of that and put them over here and deal with the human?” she asked, arguing that personal exchange can open space for listening.

On media’s role, Guzman described news ecosystems as amplifiers that reward the loudest and most shaming voices. She recommended habits to reduce reactive consumption — removing addictive apps, rereading pieces that anger you with two questions ("What are the deep down, honest human concerns?" and "What is the strongest argument for this side?"), and seeking out balanced daily summaries like The Flip Side.

The event concluded with a brief reception and a book table for Guzman’s title. Organizers said the Project for Civic Health materials and Guzman’s book were available for attendees who wanted to continue learning practical techniques to reduce polarization.