And the idea was that we should be better than that. We’re more educated now than people have been since at least the Roman times, and probably ever.

We’re supposed to be able to handle free speech absolutism and simply bust through all the bullshit and logical fallacies. We’re supposed to have the tools to find the truth, and therefore be resistant to propaganda.

Even after all this, I don’t think it’s our education that is lacking. It’s our lack of community that makes us vulnerable. It’s easier than ever to pick and choose who your limited “community” is, outside of family. And there’s a reason family is taking the brunt of the pressure now.

The boomer adage of never talking about religion or politics has killed us. People used to fight and die over politics, and now we can’t even talk about politics with close family. Better to avoid the subject and just let dad go out and vote for the guy idolizing mein kampf.

It’s especially a failure of our churches. One of the few places we still have a third place, a community, and most have failed to lead their people to truly Christian values. How can the way Republicans treat immigrants reconcile with Christianity? Their stance on guns while children are being murdered regularly enough that we can’t name all the schools anymore? Go ahead and rattle off the easy four before clicking the spoiler. I’ll wait. ::: spoiler spoiler Columbine, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Uvalde ::: Sorry, Parkland, I forgot you. And sorry for all the others I can’t name.

The idea that any and all information should be free isn’t new. The idea that we should have the wisdom to discern the truth and handle the chaff hadn’t been tested so hard in a long time.