Relational

"Fake news" and motivated reasoning may be right-wing relativism, something once commonly set aside as the essential failing of the left. Click bait is yoga for belief structures, and people whose beliefs are pleasantly challenged dozens of times each day are primed for motivated reasoning. People who feel insecure, but are pushed to the back of the line repeatedly, may become desperate. Desperation and pain are easily confused with anger and rage. Desperation and pain are powerful motivators, especially when set beside other groups' alienation and apathy. The wave of desperation and pain is almost a force of nature, and not a sinister conspiracy by any political strategist, and reminding myself of that makes it easier not to hate my political opponents, since they're as bewildered as I am, and probably nearly as troubled. What outrages opponents doesn't necessarily outrage supporters, but the outrage gap is a force driving still more polarization. People on the left are also guilty of motivated reasoning, by