I loved this one. Mind you, JDV, I have watched you fire off hate mail at Boomers and Millennials, which is your right, and which disappoints me sometimes when I read an essay like this which peels back the philosopher in you. This was excellent. I'm probably going to tag this whole thing in a piece I'm planning on our dichotomies, which we refuse to acknowledge, and die in a ditch to deny. We all live with fighting factions inside us. Given the bully pulpit of the Internet and places like Medium, far too many of us fire off the shit we have inside before we look at it carefully first, which requires way too much damned personal work. We leak the messes inside us. I too am a Southerner, born and bred, still say ma'am and sir and respect my elders and all that stupid old fashioned stuff that smooths the edges and makes for a more polite society.

We are fearful of what others say when it threatens the comfort of our self-righteousness. Like it or not, what's flying around can force us to look inside, but that's only for the brave. This hasn't been the land of the brave or the free ever, not EVER, for when we are terrified of being challenged, we are craven fools. That includes the august editorial folks at the NYT, whose journalism I largely respect, but not always for these reasons. Well done, John.