America is more divided than ever. Just scrolling on social media, you will see influencers calling members of opposing political parties’ “monsters”, “idiots”, or even “subhuman”. Americans these days love to latch on to people who are just like them and block out everyone else. In fact, according to a research study conducted by professors at Brown and Stanford University, the growing rate of political polarization in the United States exceeds nearly every other democratic country (Kimball 2020). We are simply becoming more and more divided.
Awkward Chats With Strangers
Interestingly, it has become pretty normal—even trendy—to avoid potentially uncomfortable interactions/conversations with strangers. There are plenty of internet memes and TikToks joking about avoiding people you don’t know in public spaces. Our society has begun to limit the opportunities for small human interactions, and it’s not just because of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.