It is hysterical when I point out that hoarding toilet paper and hand sanitizer [but not hand soap] is where we are as a society. But since we, as a society, now feel like Michael Clarke Duncan from The Green Mile, it’s increasingly important to find the good in the world.

Cook Children’s held a roundtable after the Uvalde shooting where reporters could whip doctors with questions about how you explain this to kids. I’ve taken to sharing this link to any parent who posts online about their concerns while also explaining the folks at Cook Children’s urge parents to talk out their own feelings. In my defense, asking people questions and then telling other people the answer is my exact job.

I’m not an old man, but when I was in college, one of my professors said he was worried as this “internet” caught on, people would start seeking news that backed up their current beliefs instead of straightforward information without “analysts” to tell you how to feel. The same thing had happened with the rise of cable news in the 90s.

Those principles can also apply to social media. An associate reported seeing a post about how, because the Border Patrol responded, the gunman had to be, oh, one of those illegal immigrants. Never mind the Border Patrol has a unit that acts as a SWAT and can help communities like Uvalde that may not have huge staffs available to respond to an active shooter. Never mind the original poster was speculating about the gunman’s immigration status before DPS had even identified him.

Someone had posted it on social media, so it has to be true.

If you haven’t screened The Social Dilemma on Netflix, I recommend it. The film’s subject matter is particularly relevant right now. Former executives for several sites explain how they monetize emotions; if you click on a topic [or, I suspect, think about a topic], you’ll get bombarded with more content dealing with that topic so you’ll be afraid to look away.

One of Texas’ U.S. senators has even had the unmitigated gall to discuss potential legislation with a member of a different political party that would attempt to prevent the same thing from happening again.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get upset about what happened or voice opinions online. I’m saying constantly looking at issues through a partisan lens can be exhausting. If you feel you need to express yourself, consider filling out and posting this form [patent pending]:

Technology has given us a venue to argue with strangers, but it’s also helped kids stay connected to their classwork. A lot of school districts in the area learned from the pandemic how many kids don’t have internet access at home, so they’re trying to make it easier for kids to do research.

Also, thanks to technology, we got to screen one more Norm MacDonald stand-up special. He filmed that not long before he died, and even then, he still hadn’t become callous or bitter. In fact, he lays out a possible reason people look for social media posts to tell us what to think, saying no one’s going to read a candidates 45 page position paper.

“You only get so much time,” he says. “You’ve got to choose.”

If you have the means, I recommend checking it out.

At the same time, though, Hollywood has also determined what we really needed after two years of arguing about politics and medicine is a film about Winnie the Pooh and Piglet going on a killing spree. Maybe read the room, Hollywood.

In conclusion, the safest way to avoid being radicalized is to read #ScaiaBlog. If you click on my blog, the only information Big Tech will harvest about you is your love of witty observations about current events. And also pictures of doggies wearing American flag bandannas.