I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times

Guzmán examines how assumptions shape political and social divisions through the lens of an event called “Melting Mountains,” which brought together residents from two politically-opposed counties in 2017. The chapter opens by describing how Guzmán and her colleague Anika organized a meeting between residents of King County, Washington (predominantly Democratic) and Sherman County, Oregon (predominantly Republican).

The inspiration for this meeting emerged when Guzmán discovered that these two counties had voted in exact opposite proportions in the 2016 presidential election—74% for Hillary Clinton in King County and 74% for Donald Trump in Sherman County. Working with local contacts, particularly a retired agricultural extension agent named Sandy Macnab, Guzmán coordinated a day of structured conversations between residents of both counties.

During the event, participants engaged in exercises designed to foster understanding rather than debate. One participant, Laura Caspi, arrived questioning her own assumption that Trump voters must be “bad people.” Through conversations with Sherman County residents, she gained insight into how economic factors, such as agricultural regulations and healthcare costs, influenced their voting decisions. Another key moment occurred when a farmer named Darren Padget helped urban visitors understand the complexities of agricultural life and the challenges facing rural communities.

The chapter explores how the event revealed unexpected insights about assumption-making on both sides.