Thread

The most underrated trait in modern American life is the ability to be curious about what you may not see. If a political candidate doesn’t appeal to you but appeals to many, it is not interesting to say they’re not appealing. If an idea that discomfits you is ascendant, your reflexive aversion is boring. Call someone who likes the idea. Why do things appeal to others who are not you? What can’t you see? Social media, polarization, the outrage economy, clickbait, attention dynamics, the stakes of an authoritarian age, the lack of time to think — all of it is breaking brains. When you encounter what you don’t understand, it can be the beginning of the journey, not a reason to dis the phenomenon. Just be curious. Ideas that make people uncomfortable have a long history of becoming the consensus everyone embraces.