I had a dream last night that I went to dinner and a lecture with the other teachers in my department. The lecture was given by Hugh Laurie, and it presented the idea that American politics is now driven almost entirely by trolling. The ideal foundation for politics, he said, was rational, respectful, fact-based discourse. But now, our political discourse consists almost entirely of making fun of people we don't agree with.
One thing I found particularly interesting: Laurie said that the internet has always been rife with trolls. Historically, these people have focused on things like race, gender, and sexual orientation. But now they have added anti-intellectualism and science denial to their arsenal. The easiest and surest way to get trolled online today, he said, was to post something factually accurate and scientifically verifiable. This would bring out the trolls in droves, and one would be inundated with angry and nonsensical (and, most likely, profane) comments for days afterward.
In not sure why my subconscious decided to play this particular mental movie for me. But at least it was a nice dinner.