Our country has not been this conflicted for a long time. Joris Luyendijk investigates why it is so difficult to step out of your own bubble.
Our country has not been this conflicted for a long time. In the media, in parliament, and most of all on the internet, it seems we have simply forgotten how to conduct a conversation about our political differences. We feel comfortable within our own filter bubble of like-minded people, but outside it we immediately get into fights.
Inspired by his growing lack of faith in politics, journalist Joris Luyendijk stepped out of his own (left-wing and highly educated) bubble to explore the general feeling of anger and mistrust. He engaged in conversations with a wide range of people who think differently and encouraged an online exchange of opinions. What exactly is troubling these people? And is it still possible to express a dissenting opinion? In this lecture he discusses his findings.
Joris Luyendijk is journalist and anthropologist. Among other things he wrote the best-selling and prize-winning books People like us (Het zijn net mensen) and Swimming with Sharks (Dit kan niet waar zijn). In 2017 his publication Can we talk (Kunnen we praten) appeared, in which he notes an increasing fragmentation of society and a loss of faith in traditional politics and democracy. The book is also an invitation to step out of our bubble and meet each other openly.
This lecture will be in English.