Are we going to talk about that thing that no one's talking about

guidomerkinsrules said
To get to your specific point, the answer is media literacy taught early and often- I’m really not sure anything else will work

To the broader point - while love (needed to form social bonds) is more important for the species to survive; fear (the primary ingredient in hate) is hardwired to protect the individual.
It’s also a much simpler, lizard brain response vs the more complex firings of the frontal lobe

I agree on the importance of Media Literacy. I went to a military school back in the 80s where we had an actual class on media literacy. We all had subscriptions to various magazines and newspapers and would spend the class reading articles about the same events and then discussing their slant. Newsweek vs US News and World Report vs Time were my three favorites to show left - center - right. There is no incentive to teach media literacy now since there is more disinformation than information on the internet. The line between news and entertainment is gone now, so long as users remain engaged and ad revenues increase there is no incentive to change. Want more money, engage more users, post content known to anger or inflame your user, user clicks through and replies, user is now engaged, Zappos now pays 4 cents for that shoe ad instead of 1.7.

Fear is a definite problem, but it is also one of the driving factors in modern politics since it is easier to scare someone than to win them over with ideas and principles. Scared people instinctually flock to the Alpha strongest type, so politicians are playing on these fears with both sides demonizing the other side. I am just saddened that some how we ended up with Donald Trump and Joe Biden as the two "Strongest" among us for the nation to polarize around.

Marsha is right that it is most scary when we are all scared. We need to all remember to take some time and go outside for some sunshine and blue skies. Just take a few deep breaths outdoors and let the sun's rays warm your skin. Depending on what time of day you read this, you may need to go back inside now, because a few breaths is fine, but no need to scald your lungs! Remember to laugh and most importantly, remember we all ultimately want the same things. Don't let social media or politicians turn your heart dark for an extra 2.3 cents.