When I was coming of age (late 70s-early 80s), it was very much the rule to avoid politics and religion in everyday conversations between friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. They idea that you would/could only be friends, mates, co-workers or neighbors with someone who shared your identical political views was not the norm. You could like Reagan or hate Reagan (and/or his "just say no" wife), but it didn't break up marriages or bowling teams. What we have now is, IMO, greatly the result of the internet - social media coupled with a substantial decrease in the influence of "traditional" religion, creating a vacuum to be filled.
I don't see this getting any better absent some sort of major unifying event, e.g., the US gets invaded by hostile forces or nukes start flying (in which case we'd no longer have society, anyway). I remember thinking 911 would be unifying. And it was for about a week or two.
When I was coming of age (late 70s-early 80s), it was very much the rule to avoid politics and religion in everyday conversations between friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. They idea that you would/could only be friends, mates, co-workers or neighbors with someone who shared your identical political views was not the norm. You could like Reagan or hate Reagan (and/or his "just say no" wife), but it didn't break up marriages or bowling teams. What we have now is, IMO, greatly the result of the internet - social media coupled with a substantial decrease in the influence of "traditional" religion, creating a vacuum to be filled.
I don't see this getting any better absent some sort of major unifying event, e.g., the US gets invaded by hostile forces or nukes start flying (in which case we'd no longer have society, anyway). I remember thinking 911 would be unifying. And it was for about a week or two.
I have found that understanding is less helpful than acceptance. Accept that your opponent’s position is as real as yours, and you’re there