Bridging Divides - #13 Ben Kawaller

Joey speaks with Ben Kawaller. We discuss how Ben came to bridge divides in his work at The Free Press, humor, LGBT politics, the role of the media in polarization, why Kamala Harris lost, conservative media and audience capture, election discourse, mass deportations, Trump’s norm violations, cross-partisan communication, muscular conservatism & feminine liberalism, why gay guys go to the gym, Ben’s experience with the Democratic Socialists of America, polarization around Israel & Palestine, the war in Gaza, Benny Morris, Israel’s future, antisemitism, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and other topics. Ben can be found on X @benkawaller, Instagram @benkawaller, YouTube @benkawaller, at The Free Press, and on his website.

Ben hosts the sociopolitical interview series Ben Meets America and hosted the 2024 election series Swing State Debates for The Free Press. He holds a BA in sociology from Harvard. His writing and video reporting have also appeared in Los Angeles Magazine. Ben has contributed to The American Bystander, The Advocate, and Salon, among other publications. He is the author of the full-length plays Us and Them, which was workshopped by Los Angeles' Rogue Machine Theatre in March 2022, and The Politician, as well as various short plays. He is a current member of The Actors Studio's Play Development Unit.