A Letter on Justice and Open Debate
I think this comes down to a lack of trust in good-faith debate.  People don't trust that someone "from the other side" will actually have the empathy and generosity required to have a good-faith discussion on a topic.<p>Also, I believe that we're constantly hearing so many voices trying to convince us one way or another, that our own discussions on those topics end up being attempts to convince others.  That would explain "safe spaces" to some degree -- people don't want the pressure of having someone else try to convince them of something they don't agree with.<p>Some of it just the two-party system.  The points don't matter, just which side of the line each person is on.  I wonder if more parties would help depolarize the situation.  I'm really not sure.