From Contempt to Connection: How Curiosity Transforms Us

“I had all these assumptions about who a Trump voter was. I thought they were uneducated. You know, sort of where, you know, mostly in rural places, you know, I had all these sort of stereotypes, right? And when I actually went to a Trump rally in Minnesota, I just learned that that wasn’t the case at all.
    — Scott Shigeoka on the 12 Geniuses podcast

In the latest episode of “Debate Without Hate: Elections 2024,” Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World, talks about the power of genuine curiosity.

Scott encourages us to question our assumptions about the people and events around us. Our divided society often pushes us to assume the worst about those who think differently from us: “I don’t think most people really know what they assume or what their biases are or what their certainties are.”

Curiosity helps push back against this tendency. It encourages us to ask more thoughtful questions and dig deeper to understand others. However, Scott warns against “predatory curiosity,” where questions are asked not to understand, but to mock. For example, comedian Jordan Klepper attends Trump rallies to find and highlight the most extreme opinions. Scott explains that while that might seem like curiosity, the goal is to catch people off guard and make them look foolish. 

The same thing happens on the other side; some attend liberal events or browse left-leaning social media, looking for ways to make liberals seem ridiculous. These approaches may provoke laughs and judgment from the intended audience, but it also reinforces stereotypes. These are examples of seeming to be curious while actually increasing partisan animosity with derision.  

Scott reminds us that every political group has uninformed members. While we may strongly disagree with certain views, it’s important to remember that individuals do not represent an entire group. Mocking people on the “the other side” only deepens our divides and fuels contempt.

In this episode, Scott talks about embracing curiosity and empathy while holding onto our political views and beliefs — an essential conversation as the presidential election approaches.

Watch this 12 Geniuses episode now. 

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