I'd say our problems are going to continue for a hell of a long time, Reg. I don't see people leaving their tribe, their social media sites, their information bubbles. Our next door neighbors may well live in something resembling an alternate universe. Remember, Reg, when we were kids, we all watched the same 3 television networks (and PBS and a few crappy UHF channels which always looked "snowy"). Kids pretty much knew the same songs (until Boston listeners got WBCN and our musical horizons exploded)! There were liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats. We all hated the Russians! Most of went to church and believed in something. Of course, for all that homogeneity, gays were in the closet, minorities were brutally denied opportunities, and women had few job prospects outside of teaching and nursing, and atheists were not about to share their skepticism. 

As a kid, I truly lived and died with all the Boston sports teams. However, I lost interest in professional sports a few decades ago, and would often ridicule the faithful, their tee shirts, their tailgating parties, and their endless conversations about players, statistics, and prospects for the new season. Hell, I still do on occasion.  Perhaps I've been wrong to be so strident in my criticism. Perhaps the communal bonding that results from following the local teams can break down some of the barriers within households, and within communities. I guess it's better for Boston fans to despise New York fans than for Boston citizens to turn on each other!

Peter T.