WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the immediate aftermath of a shocking shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Americans across the political spectrum did what they do best in moments of uncertainty: confidently explained exactly what happened before any actual information became available. On X (formerly known as the place where nuance goes to die), several prominent conservative voices wasted no time identifying the root cause: liberals, obviously. Specifically, liberals who have spent years criticizing President Donald Trump in ways that are, according to these commentators, both hysterical and somehow powerful enough to control the minds of strangers with firearms. “The left has been calling Trump a Nazi for years,” one post read, concluding that this rhetorical excess had inevitably culminated in violence—despite the minor detail that no one had yet confirmed the target, motive, or, inconveniently, anything at all. Meanwhile, liberals responded with a competing theory: if we’re ...
Dear America, I’m confused. I keep hearing from some very enthusiastic folks in red hats that people like me—let’s call us “overthinkers with NPR subscriptions”—are trying to destroy America . This is surprising, because I was under the impression that I was trying to improve America. You know, like upgrading the operating system without deleting the hard drive. I recycle. I vote. I argue about healthcare at dinner parties. I even use the self-checkout without stealing anything. If this is destruction, it’s a very slow and polite apocalypse. Here’s where I get stuck: I assume the red-hat crowd also loves America. They put flags on everything—including items that were not previously considered flag-compatible. Trucks, shirts, possibly breakfast. So if we both love America, and we both think we’re helping it… why does it feel like we’re in a group project where everyone thinks the other group is secretly trying to burn the poster board? Shouldn’t we, I don’t know… talk about it? Since...