I've seen a lot of discussions over how polarized society seems to have gotten. I've said before that the Bush/Clinton election is my earliest memory of politics. There was a partisan divide, sure, but we didn't seem to have the level of seething vitriol like today.

I don't think social media algorithms and echo chambers can be blamed entirely, either. I think there is an overall social civil devolution occurring. I'm inclined to place a lot of the blame on the government education system which has failed to educate.

The federal Department of Education is about 44 years old. Under its watch, educational outcomes seem to have declined precipitously. Anecdotally, at least, we have graduates who can't read analog clocks, can't write, can't understand basic scientific concepts, can't tolerate honest discussion of divisive topics, and can't form a coherent argument to defend their own positions. Reform after reform fails. "No child left behind," "Common Core," it doesn't improve.

However, a lot of the irrationality I see is from the Baby Boomer generation, so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.