Off Ramp

How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt

De: Spencer Cox, Jonathan Haidt - introduction

Utah Governor Spencer Cox's practical guide to depolarization teaches us how to disagree better at the dinner table, on social media, and in American politics

Last September, following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Governor Spencer Cox stood at a podium and addressed a fractured and grieving nation.

He encouraged Americans to find a way to stop hating each other, or—at the very least, he said—to stop shooting each other. His words were balm to a nation desperate for an off-ramp from rising political violence.

But a single speech cannot transform a country. It takes all of us working together. It takes a blueprint for healing, depolarization, and peacemaking.

In this practical and patriotic guide, Gov. Cox pulls from his experience at the highest levels of civic leadership and cutting-edge depolarization research to encourage Americans to disagree better and restore the respect that we once had even for our political rivals. As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s time to remember what makes America strong. . . and leave behind the behaviors and rhetoric that threaten to destroy us.

Spencer Cox is a husband, father, farmer, former business leader, and Utah’s 18th governor. His career in public service—from city council member and mayor to county commissioner, state legislator, lieutenant governor, and now governor—has been shaped by a dedication to depolarization and a commitment to peacemaking. As chair of the National Governors Association from 2023 to 2024, he launched the bipartisan “Disagree Better” initiative, a national effort to model healthier civic engagement.

Off Ramp is that blueprint.