Part 10/13:
Their insights extend into politics: they observe a "culture of panic" where both sides of the political spectrum imagine existential threats—left fears of racist society, right fears of chaos and moral decline—driving polarization to dangerous levels. They discuss how social media amplifies or accelerates this process, rewarding outrage over rational dialogue, creating echo chambers, and further entrenching division.
Jim explains that the polarization resembles a spinning wheel with all weights pushed to the outside—the more extreme each side becomes, the more likely the societal "structure" breaks apart under centrifugal forces.