Cover story: The view from all sides -- As society gets more polarized, the 'Both Sides Now' education program aims to give teens broad insights into global conflicts Cover story: The view from all sides -- As society gets more polarized, the 'Both Sides Now' education program aims to give teens broad insights into global conflicts (December 07, 2005)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

Jim Kirkland and John Straubel bicker good-naturedly about the United States' trade embargo against Cuba. A discussion of their trip to Cuba and Florida takes a brief hiatus while the two friends argue about whether the embargo is the real problem or just a distraction.

It's the kind of conversation they would like to see American high school students take part in -- a give-and-take of ideas based on a firm grasp of the situation and familiarity with the viewpoints of key players on all sides of the issue. No name-calling, no apathy, no dismissing the opposing side's beliefs as crazy or stupid.

In the highly polarized world of American politics, it's hard to imagine teenagers engaging in a more thoughtful, rational debate than can be currently heard among adults on radio talk shows and on TV. Mr. Kirkland and Mr. Straubel think they've developed a way to make that happen.

Mr. Straubel, a Menlo Park resident, and Mr. Kirkland, who grew up in Menlo Park, have been working on a series of interactive DVDs, called "Both Sides Now," to be used in classrooms.

The idea is simple, yet innovative. The DVDs present an overview of a thorny conflict - "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the Israel/Palestine conflict, U.S. policy on Cuba -- and follow it with interviews with an array of people, from extremists to moderates. Students will hear from kids their own age as well as from politicians, activists and radicals. By hearing directly from the people involved, teens can get unfiltered views as they try to understand the gray areas that accompany polarizing debates, according to the two men.

Wonder why anyone would think suicide bombers are necessary? Hear reasons from an extremist member of Hamas. Why should Israel refuse to make concessions to Palestinians? Hear from an equally extremist member of Likkud.

And while you're at it, hear the opinions of typical Israelis and Palestinians whose take on the situation may be more nuanced and moderate than you'd expect.

"We need to try to turn the tide of polarization," Mr. Kirkland says. "What are kids hearing about? The extremes. And it's not just the U.S."

Mr. Kirkland says the DVDs will offer chapters that take a deeper look at underlying historical, cultural, economic and religious factors, and will be linked to Web sites providing updates on the situation, discussion forums and resources for additional study.

"The program is really about critical thinking, teaching future generations to look at any given subject from at least two points of view, not just one," he says.

They are designing Both Sides Now DVDs to dovetail with lesson plans, with national educational standards in mind, Mr. Kirkland says. After playing the DVDs, teachers could lead role-playing debates and discussion sessions, or ask students to write reports recommending solutions, Mr. Straubel says.

But Both Sides Now won't be just educational; it will be entertaining, he says.

"Kids like to watch TV," Mr. Kirkland says.

"And they like to argue and talk," Mr. Straubel adds.

"It's a big world out there. It's not just sound bites, it's real lives," Mr. Kirkland says.

At the moment, getting Both Sides Now DVDs into classrooms is still a dream. They've traveled to Israel, Cuba and Northern Ireland, conducted interviews, enlisted the help of educators and experts and made a sample video and curriculum supplement, but they need financial backing to produce the DVDs.

They aim to introduce the program to private high schools and community colleges in the hope that, once Both Sides Now establishes a good track record, the program can make the leap into public high school classrooms.

Peter Lemish, an educational activist and researcher, is serving as one of Both Sides Now's advisers on the Israel/Palestine curriculum. He says the use of interactive DVDs is a new and promising trend in education.

"The moving image is one of the strongest means of communication with most young people today," he says in an e-mail. "A well-designed video text about a subject with which they have no experience can orient them, frame the issues, enable them to see consequences and meet different points of view in a very short period of time."

Mr. Lemish says he doesn't know of any other educational program or initiatives that are similar to Both Sides Now. Part of what makes it unique is that it introduces the idea of conflict resolution, using in-depth studies of multiple conflicts as a means of comparison. Conflict resolution is an essential part of everyday life, from personal relationships to political conflicts, he says.

Mr. Straubel says that one local psychologist they consulted really likes the idea of the Both Sides Now program because she has found that conflict resolution is best taught by focusing on an issue that's different from the issues that exist in teens' own communities.

The two men have gotten a remarkable level of access to people who want to participate. For the program on the U.S. policy on Cuba, they interviewed Vicky Huddleston, the former head of the U.S. diplomatic mission to Cuba, as well as Jaime Suchicki, a former member of the Castro government, and Alfredo Duran, a Cuban American who fought in the Bay of Pigs, among others.

What they've had trouble finding, however, is funding for Both Sides Now, which they've established as a nonprofit organization.

"Everybody I talk to loves the concept, but we haven't been able to break through to any foundations or find any real sources of funding," Mr. Kirkland says.

They've produced a sample video, drawn on Mr. Kirkland's experience as a photographer and art director. At the moment, Both Sides Now is based out of his Redwood City office.

Len Kingsley, past president of the San Francisco Foundation's board of directors, says he can't figure out why, so far, no one has jumped at the chance to back the project.

"I reacted strongly and positively to the whole concept of people listening to each other and listening to different points of view before shooting off their mouths," he says. "I thought it was terrific, a way to get high school students to think instead of just parroting their parents. It was one of the surprises of my life that no one bit at the possibility of developing a thoughtful dialogue in youth."

But Mr. Kirkland and Mr. Straubel are keeping hope alive, because they are convinced that Both Sides Now can make a real difference.

"When I was in Israel explaining about it, people said, 'You need to translate this into Hebrew and Arabic, because if you think you need it, we need it more,'" Mr. Kirkland says.

Their dream is to eventually build a library of Both Sides Now DVDs covering a range of contentious topics -- global warming, abortion, Darwinism -- not just global conflicts. Once they get funding to produce the DVDs, they hope to make enough money by selling them to sustain the program and sponsor teachers to travel to some of the places they teach about, such as Havana and Belfast.

They've been inspired by the people they've met on their travels and the progress that's been made in some places, such as Northern Ireland, where there are 26 schools run by both Catholics and Protestants.

In particular, they mention the unsinkable Cuban people, whom they found to be inventive and determined in the face of serious hardships. In Havana, Mr. Kirkland says, he saw plastic milk jugs being used as replacement gas tanks in old American cars, since the trade embargo prevents replacement parts from coming into Cuba.

"What they say is, 'No es facil' -- it's not easy, but we do it. They're amazing people, and that's part of what we'd like to bring to kids (through the DVDs)," he says.

The benefits of teaching teenagers critical thinking and conflict resolution skills seem obvious to the duo.

"The point is not to go through life without an opinion; the point is to have the knowledge to inform it, and to give a fair shake to the other side," says Mr. Kirkland.
INFORMATION

Information about the Both Sides Now project is available at bothsidesnow.net or by calling 364-6040.

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