The Great American Outrage Machine

Resentment and indignation are feelings dangerous to the possessor and to be sparingly used. They give comfort too cheaply; they rot judgment, and by encouraging passivity, they come to require that evil continue for the sake of the grievance to be enjoyed. — Jacques Barzun, Science: The Glorious Entertainment

The level of incivility in American political discourse has ebbed and flowed over the years…