Braindeadness, Coming Home

IN A GREAT BOOK entitled "Bowling Alone" the point is made that participation in the community in America is declining, things such as church, bowling leagues, PTA, civic clubs, etc. Those who remain are the truly devoted. A deeply devoted minority of true and ardent believers, religiously, politically.The moderates and the lukewarm have flown the coop. Everyone is hard line and hard core, all or nothing. First, decide that you are liberal or conservative, one or the other, all the way. Then, as each issue appears, ascertain which is the liberal viewpoint, and which the conservative. Be sure to embrace the right one. Ignore the fact that nobody is all one, or all the other, in anything. Strict to the doctrine. since everyone wants you to be "consistent", and since you want everyone else to be, ahem, "consistent", be so, by any and all means. the fact that this 'tude is the very antithesis of open mindedness is, apparently, irrelevant. Rock solid hard line consistency trumps flexible, critical thinking, every time, because the former is so totally comfy, and the latter so annoyingly complicated, and requires more effort. The fact that this creates a double edged, polarized society of anger is irrelevant. Dems, libs, repubcons. Rich and Poor. The consequences of our braindeadness are coming home.