Today we are going on the road with an old acquaintance and Yellow Van veteran: musician and filmmaker Jim Kroft, one of my greatest friends and record-holder in consecutive days spent in Fonsi with me.

His documentary film “A Conversation With America” is available for free on YouTube right now. It was filmed 4 years ago in the three months leading up to the election. He travelled all across the United States, looking to understand the growing political divide by searching out conversations with the wide range of people that constitute US society.

Jim has created an unbiased, colorful kaleidoscope that sets the stage for all Americans - excluding noone and, therefore, overcoming the pitfalls of our societal echo chambers.

The film reminds us of the tone that so many of our conversations lack these days: the cadence of mutual respect and inclusivity. "A Conversation With America" is therefore an inspirational film, one of a kind, that I can’t recommend enough.

So what better time to hear his conclusion after four years of Trump, his expectations for the Biden administration and his hopes for the near US future?

SHOW NOTES

* Jim's Homepage [https://www.jimkroft.com]
* "A Conversation With America", Jim Kroft [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd-NKPCKFYE%20]
* Get Jim's song "Love In The Face Of Fear" [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear]
* Jim on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/jimkroft/featured]

* Gerrymandering [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering]
* James Baldwin [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin]
* "The Fire Next Time", James Baldwin, 1963 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fire_Next_Time]
* "I Am Not Your Negro", Raoul Peck, 2017 on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/de-en/title/80144402]
* Amanda Gorman's Inaugural Poem [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4YuEvJ3y4]
* Amanda Gorman's Homepage [https://www.theamandagorman.com/]
* James Lovelock [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock]
* The Weimar Republic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic]
* Hitler's Rise To Power [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power]
* Kurt von Schleicher, last chancellor of the Weimar Republic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_von_Schleicher]
* Franz von Papen, vice chancellor under Hitler [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Papen]
* The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer, 1960 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich]
* Carl Gustav Jung on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AMu-G51yTY]
* Carl Gustav Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung]

* Mind The Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de]

Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de] Production.

00:00:00 Purpose in Life and Polarization
00:01:28 Introduction to Yellow Van Stories
00:03:17 A Conversation with America
00:04:53 Political Developments and Reflections
00:09:49 Art's Role in Inclusivity and Hope
00:14:09 Media, Free Speech, and Polarization
00:22:34 Dangers of Groupthink
00:35:50 Maintaining Open Dialogue
00:45:23 Art Bridging Divides
00:52:54 Reflections on Joylessness and Responsibility
01:02:13 Critical Thinking vs. Authority
01:06:52 Love and Personal Responsibility
01:19:59 Love on the Face of Fear
01:30:47 Future Predictions and Farewell
01:32:28 Engagement and Support
01:33:27 Performance of 'Love in the Face of Fear'