Ditto. I don't help myself either sometimes! I'd say that's part due to at least being somewhat susceptible to the 'pick your reality' process, but also noticing the same in others. And we're far more liable to point the finger at others for blinkered perspectives than to question our own shortcomings in that department, so it continues on and on.. It's both pointless and torturous beyond a point and nobody gains anything from it.

These platforms aren't there for our benefit, and so maybe it's naive of us to have ever viewed them as benign. While message board 'don't have to' be as bad, we're all so plugged into social media and everything that spills out of it in terms of tone, groupthink, and content that it's easy to carry it across anyway. And the same goes for the 'real world'. A sorry state of affairs!

A friend of mine recently went from being obsessed with national events on 24 hour news networks and the online and media whirlwind that accompanies it, to opting out entirely. While that's an extreme, I can certainly see a rationale in taking a step back from the social platforms and pushed perspectives that feed our worst impulses, and maybe viewing life far more on a local and reciprocal level for a bit. That kind of everyday 'take as you find' might wake us somewhat from our digital daze and unnecessarily sweeping perspectives of others.

You are right, but only about the quote's source.

The rot exists in the growth of populism. In the reliance on social media for information and the deliberate undermining of the MSM by Trump.

Trump has fostered an equivalence of lies, his opinions and real facts.

The "swamp" exists in a political system which allows money to dominate over ethics and wisdom. Draining it is needed but Trump has not even attempted to do that. He has just added a new layer of muck.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Interesting that no one considers the lives and prospects of American voters might have improved in the last four years. Instead they’re all brain dead morons who’ve fallen for a criminal’s lies.

Totally deluded.

Things have come to a pretty pass, if a candidate with the most votes wins an election.

Whatever next, votes for women?

What's the voltage setting on your one currently set at?