Addicted to Hate: A Conversation with Director, David Smick about his New Film, “Stars and Strife” with a Call to Arms for Media and Brands

This week on The Divided States of Media, Dan sits down with David Smick, Director of Stars and Strife, a new film that should be required viewing for all Americans as an antidote to the hate and divisions that plague us. The film was co-produced by Barry Levinson (think Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam, The Natural) and includes interviews with Rahm Emanuel, James Baker, Leon Panetta, Alan Greenspan, and a host of other powerhouse contributors. Stars and Strife offers a history lesson in how our society has become so addicted to hate, the media’s role in the decline of civility, and the antidote to what ails us. In this interview, we dive deeper into the ways that we as business leaders and people in media can do our part to help heal as a nation. The film will bring you to tears, while this interview will give you a deeper understanding.

Highlights:

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• 3:48 – How hate is like a drug
• 7:34 – Globalization has fundamentally changed the economy over the past 30 years, leaving many in our society feeling humiliated
• 16:56 – Common threads between our current strife and the period leading up to the Civil War
• 30:39 – Is this the end of America as we know it?
• 50:51 – This Week in Unsolicited Advice
• 53:11 – The demand for clicks promotes divisiveness in reporting
• 1:13:45 – How David landed a licensing deal to use Sinatra music in his movie, and the time he talked to Sammy Davis Jr. about the entertainment industry’s march toward social justice