“So many of us don’t fully know what we believe and why because we rarely stop to organize our thoughts so that we might articulate and evaluate them better. Discussing contrasting ideas is actively discouraged in the modern world, which means that argument (not to be confused with quarreling) is a lost art. Our society suffers as a consequence. It’s normal now to scream in catchphrases that one has heard on television and which resonated with us for their pithiness; but that’s not thinking. It’s not even arguing. It’s regurgitation.
We have all seen people break down, especially college students, when they encounter unexpected alternative viewpoints. Their reactions are often visceral, almost primal. Videos of such people screeching in the streets are not uncommon. It’s a reaction that is born from an inability to articulate their stances outside of slogan-hurling. They weren’t taught to think but merely to repeat. When that fails, they lose control.” – Sarah Cain (a.k.a. The Crusadrer Gal)