Daniel Lubetzky TED Talk: Replacing “Us vs. Them” with a Movement of Builders

In his newly released TED Talk, our Founding Partner Daniel Lubetzky publicly launched Builders, a new platform that takes the Starts With Us mission – equipping citizens to overcome toxic polarization and solve our toughest problems – global.  

Many of us face pressures to see our disagreements in binary terms: as “the good guys” versus “the bad guys,” or similar simplistic framings. But Daniel argues our real enemy isn’t a person or a group but a mindset: a polarized, divisive way of seeing the world that fails to recognize the dignity of all people. The Builders movement seeks to bring together citizens from across the world and the political spectrum who wish to build (not divide, diminish, or destroy) — so that together we can replace eternal conflict with practical compromise and problem solving.

Watch Daniel’s TED Talk: 

What will change for Starts With Us? We’ll continue doing what we’ve always done: equipping people with the skills, tools, and networks to overcome toxic polarization and solve our most challenging problems together. But now we’ll be part of the global Builders platform, tackling the interconnectivity of extremist thinking worldwide and opening up the discussion to issues beyond America’s borders.

Actor Liev Schreiber is a member of the Builders coalition. In an AP article about the Builders launch, he said, “Part of the sickness that we’re all suffering from right now is brought on by social media and the digital age. It feels as if we are now programmed to make rash decisions, to take positions before we are informed enough or understand the positions that we’re taking.”

In an op-ed in Fortune, Daniel argued that we can all learn some of the effective strategies that the extreme, vocal minority uses to hijack public discourse. Referencing a conversation he had with Movement Partner Lonnie Ali, he talked about the need for all citizens to unite to solve problems together, co-opting the kind of passion so often fueling extremist agendas to build and bring light to the world instead.

We encourage you to check out the new Builders site to learn more about this endeavor: BuildersMovement.org. 

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