Denver, Colo., Sep 29, 2017 / 15:22 pm
Some readers have noticed that the comment boxes on Catholic News Agency stories have disappeared from our website this week. We made this decision for two reasons.
The first reason is that most of the online discussions about our stories take place on social media, and our comment boxes were becoming less commonly used. It seemed like a good idea to focus the discussion in the place where most of the conversation was already taking place.
The second reason is a bit more abstract.
It is probably obvious to everyone that America is becoming more divided, and more reactive. The rules of public conversation are changing. Discussions have given way to arguments. Disagreements have given way to bickering. Differences seem to require feuding. "Cyber-bullying," not long ago the purview of children, seems to have become a kind of cultural expectation, and deeply personal attacks seem to have become an ordinary part of our political and cultural dialogue.