In 2nd grade they taught us to check sources for bias before we use websites in school work. They had an example of a website detailing MLK’s civil rights work, but the website was a white supremacy blog.

Every time I see that hammer and sickle, I know it’s going to be some white person from the US about to go to bat for the USSR or China

our social lives everything

I think a big factor in this is a reduction in affordable “third places”. A place that isnt home, isn’t work, but is part of your community and free or very cheap to exist in and socialize. It can be a cafe, a library, or a games store that hosts events.

Part of our problem is even if these places exist, they are getting harder to access and afford as they are only really accesible by car. When the cafe is only a pleasant 5 minute walk, you’d find yourself there more often than 15 minutes in traffic and having to spend money just to get there. The prices are also increasing due to the real estate/land value crisis, maintaince taxes for all the roads and parking lots, and monopoly competition.