Behavioral Grooves Podcast Finding Common Ground: A Conversation About Minneapolis
Jan 29, 2026
They discuss a surge of ICE activity in Minneapolis and its impact on neighborhood safety. They recount protests, viral videos, and the online backlash that followed. They explore how identity, conformity, and motivated reasoning deepen division. They offer practical ways to slow down, find shared values, and prioritize local, humane conversations.
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Viral Post Triggered Online Hostility
- Kurt posted videos of the scene and received thousands of views and hundreds of comments, many hostile and vitriolic.
- He described personal attacks, threats, and coordinated narratives from opposing tribes online.
We Are Identity-Seeking Not Just Truth-Seeking
- Kurt and Tim explain humans are identity-seeking, not purely truth-seeking, so tribe cues shape beliefs.
- People adopt narratives from communities and echo chambers to belong, not just to be accurate.
Conformity Trumps Personal Perception
- They reference Solomon Asch's conformity experiments showing people often conform to group answers despite clear visual evidence.
- Social conformity operates unconsciously and powerfully, even on obvious facts.