I'm honestly baffled the author even took the time to write a response to the original article that seriously claims that America over the last decade is unique

I'm honestly baffled the author even took the time to write a response to the original article that seriously claims that America over the last decade is uniquely stupid and polarized or that the twitter button is responsible for it. Apparently Haidt had no recollection of the 60s, cities on fire during the civil rights era, civil rights leaders shot, presidents shot, one because a guy wanted to impress Jodie Foster, students on campus shot in Kent State, Jonestown or any of the other gazillion insanities of American cultural life. The last ten years have been, by comparison, mild. Twitter is at the end of the day an entropy generating noise machine of the chattering classes and an epiphenomenon. Internet iscourse is a product not a cause of conflict at the material level and as far as it historically goes relatively boring these days.