There's plenty in here I agree with. But relevant to the bolded, here's the thing:
1) American culture in the modern day is predicated on entitlement. Accompanying that entitlement is too many people adopting the mantle of victim when they don't receive what they feel they deserve.
2) Bullying, much like guns has been a fixture in American life since its founding. Why do we have to address that now, and not guns?
3) Economic survival dictates that some families have to have two working parents. It cannot be avoided, not without major social programs in place to help single income families make ends meet.
4) The internet (and its accompanying devices) definitely foster a sense of isolation and lack of community. Not sure what can be done there beyond an individual commitment to reduce one's personal time online, and hope for enough people to do the same until we reach critical mass.
5) Demonization of others (women, minorities, LGBTQ, etc.) definitely exacerbates the fear and hatred in a culture already brimming with it.
6) I most definitely agree that in the last 10-15 years there's been an almost concerted effort to belittle intelligence, to mistrust scientific fact in favor of faith, and to sow contempt for education. I consider it a direct threat to national security.
So we have all these factors working against the fostering of an intelligent, compassionate, community minded populace that doesn't have so many men reaching for guns to murder when things aren't going the way they like. It's not my intention to try and draw you into a long conversation (unless that's what you want
), I'm just wondering out loud what, if anything, can be done about it or if we are past the point of no return.