Project Divided /// Conquered Allotment /// Season4:E094

Today we are with Casey Moore and Marley Duchovnay who created the amazing organization, Project Divided.  Casey is from Delaware and Marley from Pennsylvania. Both grew up exposed to politics and each developed a passion for getting involved and doing something about the division our binary political system creates.  Thus, after graduating from the University of Delaware, they decided to take part in the action to begin building bridges across the political divide.  Hence the start of Project Divided.

 

They drove from the north east to begin their journey in the small town of Smithville, TX.  Project Divided is an initiative working to understand political division and facilitate conversations between problem solvers in our communities. Project Divided is all about understanding how we can work together to problem solve from the local level up. They believe the best way to start this is to bring lots of different perspectives and backgrounds together to first start the conversation and foster communication and understanding.

 

This is our season of "American Shared Ideals" and we couldn't be more excited to have this conversation with Marley and Casey.  What they built is exactly what we hope to represent with this season of conversations. 

 

"What most Americans what are things that aren't too crazy." - Marley Duchovnay

 

"how do you balance having a conversation in order to understand that space versus having a conversation because you're an activist that wants to advocate for a specific issue?" Casey Moore

 

Topics we discuss:

• The observation of American shared values
  • Understanding their values first
  • Forming of morals and values
  • The local levels unite, the national level divides
• What they observed in building Project Divided
  • Productive conversations through agreement and disagreement
• What is a fact?
  • How they manage this in the web series
  • How we perceive truth
  • Mixing them feelings
• Conversation vs. Debate and why have conversation
  • How to disagree
• The friendship origin story and what led them to create Project Divided
  • Marley's Grandmother was a holocaust survivor and the impact on Marley
• What it means to hold space for other people
• Personal Identity and what it means to them
  • Politically
  • Individually
  • Compromising identity

 

References:

• Project Divided
• Moral Foundations Theory
• Definition of Fact
• The Things they Carried: Tim O'Brien
• Behave: Robert Sapolsky
• Political Tribe: Amy Chua
• The Big Sort: Bill Bishop

 

Credits:

Lead editor + Producer: Ruf Holmes

 

Music:

Main Theme: "Eaze Does It" by Shye Eaze and DJ Rufbeats, a More In Common Podcast Exclusive.

Guest theme:  "Doozie Groove" by DJ Rufbeats created as a More In Common Podcast Exclusive.