One would think that our politicians, whose jobs are often defined more by their words than any laws that they pass, would best understand how recklessness with their words can have severe consequences. Yet, the caustic rhetoric has not abated: “Enemies” are to be confronted.
But there has to be a way to believe that a policy is bad or even immoral without someone else’ support for that policy warranting extreme and vitriolic rhetoric.
Sadly, in all likelihood, neither our leaders, our neighbors or our social media trolls will change their tones, let alone their viciousness toward those with whom they differ politically (or the media that they believe cover everything unfairly). But our country, both right and left, will be the worse for our demonization of one another, as we will only suffer a greater fracture in an already divided era.
