Many of us grow up believing that being “nice” is the key to building and maintaining relationships. From an early age, we are often taught to prioritize kindness and politeness, equating them with ...

On January 30, the popular Sesame Street character Elmo was nice enough to ask everyone how they were doing. Elmo and his friends from Sesame Street probably did not realize what would happen next.

As a grid of video feeds blinks into view, attendees across the country prepare for an ideological collision. All have signed up for a virtual forum billed as an “empathy cafe,” held to spark dialogue ...