Most Americans would, I am certain, agree that our inability to compromise—about much of anything—is damaging to our democracy because the success of our historic form of self-government depends wholly on our ability to adjust our expectations as necessary and work cooperatively. The refusal of so many to even consider alternative viewpoints, policies, or interpretations is a problem that is, of course, exacerbated by far too many otherwise reasonable Americans retreating into the unreality of an social life lived almost entirely online. The Internet and the mind-boggling array of news and information outlets it features now allow one to inhabit an echo chamber of information that reinforces our beliefs without the annoyance of contrary ideas and viewpoints that could potentially challenge—or undermine—our comforting preconceptions about our nation and its people. Like an addictive drug that slowly destroys the mind of Read more