The parent claim is that polarization is so bad right now because of social media and the digital media. If the press is more tame now, wouldn't that result is in less polarization?
I don't know. First of all, social media are not the press. Press overall being tame does not mean all of it is tame. Alex Jones is not a press, but he is media and definitely drives some of the polarization.
Which leads to, polarization is not symmetrical. Some groups of society move toward extreme much faster then others.
Also, we do have less polarization then France had before French revolution.
Agreed - all good points. As far as comparing now to before the French Revolution though I hear an awful lot of folks threatening civil war these days in the US. I would never have predicted Jan 6th a decade ago.
I kind of think the warning signs are almost always only accurately seen in hindsight.
