“It’s very fitting to have this conversation today. Every side may not walk out with what they wanted in a compromise, but everyone can walk out with something that will benefit the community,” Driscoll said.
“Part of the problem is we don’t share the same sense of facts about what happened, what politicians said or did or what they believe,” Hayes said. “Without a set of facts, it’s hard to have a conversation. That’s a product of hyper-polarization, when you not only have different beliefs, but different facts. There needs to be a huge cultural shift.”
Creating the documentary led the interns to some important conclusions.
“It’s very easy to vilify and argue with people over social media or in another impersonal setting. What’s hard is intentionally engaging with people with whom you vehemently disagree,” Hayes said. “It can be uncomfortable, infuriating, and honestly discouraging, but nothing will ever get better, progress will never be made, without it. Change is inherently uncomfortable. Refusing to engage with the other side truly only hurts your own side. If you can’t build coalitions and develop shared goals nothing will ever get done.”
Gilliam said he learned that an individual can make a difference.
“You can take steps, where you are, with what you have, to make a difference and see things happen that you didn’t think could be possible,” he said. “By making a film about a problem of division and disunity among students that had no clear solution, we were able to start a conversation between students who never in a million years would have chosen to interact.”
