Reasonableness, Agreeableness, and Reality

In a letter to the editor printed in my local newspaper this morning, the author, dismayed by the amount of rancor in our political discourse, pleads for reasonableness, agreeableness, and compromise: He writes: “Governing is about dialog. Governing is about compromise. Lose a little. Win a little. This is the stuff that makes America great.”  It’s a lovely sentiment, but betrays a shocking ignorance of what has been going on in our country and in the world. Pervasive ignorance may be the greatest threat of all.