Ain’t it the truth, @bdomenech. Ain’t it the truth.

And I’m not going to pretend that it’s a split-down-the-middle bipartisan problem, either.

The lack of a shared language of compromise and respect leads to ongoing and increasingly contentious clashes of faith, politics, and sexual rights, where lightning rods of courts and culture lead to flashpoints that strain social bonds, break friendships, and end the ability to have a healthy community where disagreement over law and politics does not lead to death threats on social media.

Continue reading Ain’t it the truth, @bdomenech. Ain’t it the truth.

Pretty much this.

I’m fortunate in that my few personal political conversations with the Other Side are with people who don’t want to be rude to me, but I can still see that it’s getting out of hand elsewhere:

Joel Pollak at Breitbart.com writes, Liberal Intolerance: You Believe What?:

I was at a dinner recently where I happened to be seated at a table with new acquaintances of the liberal political persuasion.

We went around the table introducing ourselves. As I said that I work for a “conservative website,” a man at the far end of the table made his displeasure known by booing. He wasn’t kidding.

These were professional, accomplished, senior members of the community. They had never met a conservative before. Their first reaction was hostile. No one chided the man who booed, or apologized on his behalf for his rudeness, or laughed to break the tension.

Continue reading Pretty much this.