Americans currently put a lot of effort into changing each other's minds. "Agreeing to disagree" and "Live and let live" are things of the past.
The points of contention are endless: the effectiveness of masks and shutdowns, the correct approach to combating racism, who deserves to be canceled or boycotted, whether or not schools should be fully reopened, the morality of capitalism. And the news media and politicians offer up fresh fights every day.
The fields of battle are vast: Facebook, Twitter, workplaces, and Thanksgiving dinners.
And each side of every argument imagines itself armed with Truth and Logic.
In reality, snarkiness, insults and disdain compose 95% of most disagreements. Strawmen and ad hominem attacks are abundant; active listening and empathy are in short supply.
We really want to persuade each other - which I find admirable - but we screw it up every time. And then we blame the other person for being too stupid or too evil to grasp our point of view.
To me, it's exhausting to even watch. But some people seem to relish the fight.
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