Courageous Conversation
Falling Down the Rabbit Hole
Discover how to intervene and support individuals drawn into networks of disinformation, propaganda, and hate. Learn to identify signs of radicalization and employ questioning and active listening strategies to disrupt the process. Be a guiding light towards a more positive pathway.
What can you do to support people in your life
who may be moving towards radicalization?
Learn about the pathways to radicalization to violence, and then discuss:
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Have you or anyone you know experienced hate-based harassment?
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Do you know anyone who might be at risk for going down the rabbit hole?
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What do you think might draw them to these groups?
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What can you do to help them see and think more clearly?
Discussion Support Tools
Bring this discussion program to your school or community
🍎 Falling Down the Rabbit Hole Lesson Plan. Learn about how people can detach from the allure of violent extremism through active learning, acts of kindness, media literacy, and community engagement.
💙 Make a copy of the Google Slide Deck for this topic. You can then edit your copy as needed.
❤️ Video Summary. Learn how media literacy, active listening, kindness, and community connection disrupts the culture of grievance that can lead to extremism.
Reading and Discussion. Learn about the science of kindness and how it can be transformative.
Planning Guide. Everything you need to offer a Courageous Conversation in your community.
For Educators
Address RI state standards with curated curriculum resources
CG.P.4: Argue how power can be distributed and used to create a more equitable society for communities and individuals based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences.
CG.RR.3: Analyze how individuals and communities have been included or excluded from the political process based on their intersectional identities and lived experiences and the impact these actions have had on their rights, responsibilities, and the functioning of a democratic society
😎 Curated List of Resources. A collection of resources to understand how people get trapped in networks of disinformation, propaganda, and hate. Learn how you can disrupt the process and be a guiding light towards a more positive pathway.
📌 Creative Expression Ideas. Engaging ideas for project-based learning and simple media production.
What You Can Do
Keep Learning
Extremism Finds Fertile Ground in Chat Rooms for Gamers
A New York Times story by Steven Lee Myers reports that half the people who played online multiplayer games in the world’s major gaming markets encountered extremist statements.The people spreading hate speech or extreme views have a far-reaching effect even though they are far from the majority of users. Users recruit new members with comparatively little of the public pressure that social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have faced.
How to Radicalize a Normie
From video essayist Ian Danskin, this powerful video tells the story of Gabe, a boy who falls down the rabbit hole and into the thrall of neo-Nazi and white supremacy culture. Read the viewer comments to learn how this video resonates with people who have themselves been recruited into hate communities.
Feels Good Man
This documentary traces the history of Pepe the Frog, the cartoon created by Matt Furie. Learn more about the power of online imagery and the fascinating spin cycle of memes in a culture where ownership and meaning can be wrested away from creators.
Recognize the Warning Signs
This short news segment from PBS News Hour explains how young white boys can be lured into white supremacy networks. It features Cynthia Miller-Idriss who explains what parents and educators can do to address the problem of radicalization to violence.
The Journey out of Radicalization
Learn more about Chris Piccioloni’s journey into and out of radicalization in his amazing Ted Talk.
The Science of Kindness: It’s Not Easy Being Nice
It takes courage to help others. Learn why kindness and empathy are a true reflection of what makes us human.
Preventing Youth Radicalization: What You Can Do
From the Southern Poverty Law Center, this comprehensive guide includes practical strategies for parents, educators, coaches, and mental health professionals and offers community- and victim-centered strategies to address the threat of extremism through early prevention.
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