This is a major problem in discourse on political and social matters, judging by what I hear in the United States. Instead of stating a position and supporting

This is a major problem in discourse on political and social matters, judging by what I hear in the United States. Instead of stating a position and supporting it with reasoning, we state a position and support it with, "and you're a racist/homophobe/communist/Jacobin/baby-murderer/$OTHER_MONSTER if you disagree." Nobody is convinced by verbal brickbats like these; instead, they're convinced that their opponents are impossible fanatics who can't be reasoned with. I can't imagine a series of publications like the Federalist/Antifederalist papers today, or even something as gentle as FDR's fireside chats; we don't, on the whole, have the intellectual honesty to listen to a conversation. Listen to what is considered "winning" in a political debate: it's not the reasoned defense of a position, or proposing an innovative solution to a recognized problem, but the snappy insinuation that an opponent is a closet racist and possible pedophile. (Obviously, I'm angry here, but I'm also very, very sad.) --- edit: close paren ---