I've anecdotally noticed a trend that has transcended ideology (political and otherwise), identity (gender, culture, etc) and every demographic (age, geography, socioeconomic status, etc). I am increasingly seeing - again, across the board - people believe that those with whom they see the world differently are enemies. More people are willing to sacrifice their friendships, significant others, family ties, professional contacts, and any other human relationship over ideological disagreements.
I'm not upset they don't want a conversation or reconciliation with someone else. No one owes anyone else their time.
It's that their hatred goes deeper than the simple unwillingness to hear someone else's perspective. It's their willingness to dehumanize at the drop off a hat. In their mind, no one is redeemable from any transgression. Nothing in life is more important than disassociating from the "others." Every difference is irreconcilable and no punishment is severe enough for the transgressors. Revenge is the only form of justice. Death is not remorseful, as long as it's one of "the others" who's dead (I've legitimately watched several of these people cheer death on).
Perhaps I'm just not old enough to have witnessed it with this prevalence before; perhaps it truly is unique to our time. Either way, I think about it a lot, and I wish I knew how to reverse/combat it.
