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Outrage Overload: Rethinking politics, division, and media

Outrage Overload: Rethinking politics, division, and media

Written by: David Beckemeyer
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About this listen

If you're angry, frustrated, or scared about the state of politics and media and looking for thoughtful, balanced discussions, this podcast is for you. About 30 minutes every few weeks. It will change your life.

Outrage Overload explores the extreme polarization and political bias dominating politics and media today. We dive into the anger and outrage that drive divisions between people, distort the news, and fuel political violence. Each episode features leading scientists, researchers, authors, and community leaders tackling topics like outrage fatigue, toxic polarization, extremism, healthy conflict, disinformation, social media's role in outrage, and the influence of technology and artificial intelligence.

Join us to rediscover humanity in your rivals, improve your mental health, and find practical strategies to feel less stressed and more in control in a world fueled by outrage.


Outrage Overload helps listeners with critical questions about outrage culture, political polarization, misinformation, and media manipulation—offering science-based insight, expert interviews, and practical tools to stay grounded in a divided world.

If you’ve ever asked yourself…


• How can I stay politically informed without feeling outraged or exhausted all the time?

• Why is political polarization getting worse, and what can we do about it?

• What exactly is outrage culture, and how does it manipulate us?

• How do I talk about politics without it turning into a fight?

• Am I being misled by the media? How can I tell?

• What’s the psychological toll of living in an outrage-driven media environment?

• How can I build critical thinking skills to make sense of today’s news?

• What role does social media play in fueling outrage and misinformation?

• Is it possible to care about politics without losing your mind?

• What practical tools or insights can help me deal with toxic politics and media?


…then this is the politics show you didn’t know you needed.


Join host David Beckemeyer—science communicator and founding CTO of EarthLink—as he explores the mechanics of outrage, speaks with experts in psychology, media, and political science, and equips listeners with strategies for navigating today’s high-conflict culture with emotional resilience, critical thinking, and civil discourse.

© 2026 Outrage Overload Political Science Politics & Government Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 80. The Quiet Choices That Shape History – Luke Berryman

    80. The Quiet Choices That Shape History – Luke Berryman
    Jan 21 2026

    Resisting Nazism

    Resistance is often imagined as dramatic and heroic. History tells a different story.

    In this episode of Outrage Overload, we speak with historian and educator Dr. Luke Berryman, author of Resisting Nazism: True stories of resistance to the world’s most dangerous ideology from 1920 to the present.

    Rather than focusing on famous figures or extraordinary acts, this conversation explores resistance as it was actually lived: through nonconformity, refusal, and small decisions made under extraordinary pressure. Dr. Berryman examines Nazism not just as a historical regime, but as an ideology with recurring patterns—some of which remain visible today.

    The episode also asks a harder question: why do so many people wait for heroes? And what happens when resistance feels too risky, too rare, or like someone else’s responsibility?

    This is a historically grounded, non-alarmist conversation about how dangerous ideologies take hold—and how ordinary people have resisted them, often quietly, and without recognition.

    Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

    Support the show

    Show Notes:
    https://outrageoverload.net/

    Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

    HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

    Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

    If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

    Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

    Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

    Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

    Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.
    Show More Show Less
    31 mins
  • 79. When We Stop Sharing the Same Reality – Stephen Maher

    79. When We Stop Sharing the Same Reality – Stephen Maher
    Jan 7 2026

    Veteran journalist Stephen Maher joins us to explore how the collapse of local news, the rise of algorithm-driven platforms, and shifting newsroom cultures are reshaping democracy. Drawing on decades covering Canadian politics, Maher explains why communities lose more than information when local papers disappear—and how this dynamic parallels what’s happening in the United States.

    We dig into polarization, media trust, the “algorithmic public square,” and what might help rebuild a shared civic reality.


    Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

    Support the show

    Show Notes:
    https://outrageoverload.net/

    Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

    HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

    Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

    If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

    Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

    Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

    Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

    Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins
  • BONUS - They're not evil. They just think differently than you - Tami Pyfer

    BONUS - They're not evil. They just think differently than you - Tami Pyfer
    Jan 2 2026
    Success Stories: Why You Need the Dignity Index in Your Toolbox


    Tami Pyfer, Chief of Staff and Project Director for UNITE, returns to discuss the progress of the Dignity Index, a scale that rates speech for dignity or contempt. The goal is to encourage healthy debate and problem-solving by treating others with dignity. The index is being used to score political speech, with the hope of holding us accountable for our language. The focus is on finding higher ground and creative solutions.

    Listen in to uncover success stories, equip yourself with actionable strategies you can implement in your own conversations, online interactions, and civic engagement, and understand how you can contribute to building a more civil and productive political landscape.

    Text me your feedback and leave your contact info if you'd like a reply (this is a one-way text). Thanks, David

    Support the show

    Show Notes:
    https://outrageoverload.net/

    Contact me, David Beckemeyer by email outrageoverload@gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram @OutrageOverload. We are also on Facebook /OutrageOverload. Check out our Subtstack https://outrageoverload.substack.com

    HOTLINE: 925-552-7885

    Got a Question, comment or just thoughts you'd like to share? Call the O2 hotline and leave a message and you could be featured in an upcoming episode

    If you would like to help the show, you can contribute here. Tell everyone you know about the show. That’s the best way to support it.

    Rate and Review the show on Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/OutrageOverload

    Also check out our companion podcasts, This Week in Outrage and Outrage Science Bites.

    Intro music and outro music by Michael Ramir C.

    Many thanks to my co-editor and co-director, Austin Chen.
    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
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