Is there a way out of this polarized moment?

Such a story is told so frequently that telling it risks insipidity. From the case of Dave Rubin to Brandon Straka, the commonality usually is the gradual disillusionment with the Left due to its proclivity for identity politics, intemperate outbursts, and troubling usage of smear jobs to defeat opponents.

Then, to make matters worse, some on the Left have developed a habit of ignoring facts that refute their narratives. And they often fail to offer any honest retraction.

This is at their peril since such a gesture would not only be redeeming, it would also help heal a society that has grown tired of the theatrics. Both the Right and the Left have been guilty of this malfeasance and the concomitant polarization it causes; but the realization of the extent to which the Left has done it for years sparks several epiphanies.

These include such questions like: Purporting to be the true expositors of objectivity and morality, why must the Left resort to these tactics instead of leaving them to those charlatans at Fox News?

Are all conservatives bigots? Or do they actually have an intellectual foundation that undergirds their beliefs?

Are all Trump supporters “deplorables”? Or did they actually have valid concerns that justified their support for their beloved Donald?

My conversion began with these sorts of questions, and they were the catalyst for a philosophical evolution that I might write about in more detail in the future.

I say all of this because I was reminded this past weekend why my skepticism about what the modern Left has become was reasonable and correct.

The confrontation between the Covington Catholic students and Nathan Philips demonstrates that members of the media would rather push narratives that are favorable to their own predilections than present accurate information. This only deepens the divides that are plaguing American society.

With their judgment being clouded by their preoccupation with flogging Trump at every turn, the story of a bellicose group of teenagers “mobbing” a defenseless Native American was too delectable to pass up.

The fact that a large majority of these kids were wearing MAGA gear only provided the necessary ammunition to generate a spectacular cautionary tale about how Trump corrupts the minds of the youth.

The smirky expression and the MAGA hat were widely interpreted as a symbol of how Trump has re-entrenched a belief in white superiority over the dispossessed minorities of America.

Much to what should be the media’s humiliation, this splendid attempt to expose yet another Trumpian fiasco imploded as additional reports casted doubt on the original story.

It wasn’t an unprovoked attack; it was an unfortunate interaction that happened by chance between the students, Native Americans, and obscenity-spewing Black Israelites.

But even this revelation hasn’t deterred some from exuding their moral grandiosity.

Some have embarrassed themselves by belittling teenagers and fantasizing about inflicting harm on them because of political differences.

Senators have “joked” about banning MAGA hats in order to expunge hate.

The usual ideological suspects have taken it upon themselves to unpack the supposed nexus between this event and patriarchal whiteness in America.

In this wretched climate, some seem more worried about maintaining these illusions to wage a protracted culture war than working towards rapprochement.

We’re dangerously embroiled in what feels like an unsolvable imbroglio. This comes from a tendency some of us have to see people’s political views and the value of their humanity as inextricable things.

This has revealed itself in this mess, and perhaps most vociferously during the drama at the Kavanaugh hearings. Though it might sound hyperbolic, Matt Walsh may have a point when he writes that if this problem is continually exacerbated, “ it’s only a matter of time before a victim of a media-led smear campaign winds up dead.”

If Western societies continue on this path, we will reap what we sow.

This year, the goal should be to move on from the annus horribilis that was 2018, and initiate the process of a much- needed renewal of relations.