Things Feel A Little Intense Right Now, Don't They?

Everyone Seems So Angry These Days

It’s… well, it’s been a tough couple of weeks, hasn’t it? Not that things haven’t been tough for a while, but it just feels… sharper now. I was at the grocery store yesterday and overheard this argument between two people about the new regulations on automated vehicles. Honestly, it started calm enough, just a disagreement about safety, but it quickly escalated. Voices got raised, people started talking over each other, and pretty soon the manager had to get involved.

It made me really uncomfortable. I just wanted to buy some oat milk.

And it’s not just at the grocery store. You see it everywhere. Online, on TV, even just talking to friends. Everyone seems to have such strong opinions, and no one seems willing to listen to the other side.

I was reading an article from Syracuse University the other day – it was a bit dense, to be honest, but the gist was that things are really divided in the country right now. Apparently, a lot of it comes down to how we see things, and how easily we believe things that fit what we already think. They called it “partisan viewpoints and misperceptions,” which sounds very official, but basically means we all kind of live in our own bubbles.

I saw a YouTube video too, someone put together a comparison of news coverage from different channels over the last ten years. It was pretty eye-opening. The same event, reported on two different stations, and it sounded like completely different things happened! One channel was focusing on protests, the other on the economic impact. It's like they were reporting on two separate realities.

It's easy to get caught up in it all, to feel like you have to pick a side. I try not to, honestly. I just… I want everyone to get along. Is that so much to ask? I just wish people could remember that even if someone disagrees with you, they’re still a person. They probably have good reasons for feeling the way they do, even if you don't understand them.

I don’t know. I'm not an expert. I'm just a guy who likes oat milk and wants a peaceful grocery shopping experience. But it feels like we've lost the ability to just talk to each other. And that’s… that’s worrying.