Humanity's biggest flaw is that when left unchecked it will always find ways to negatively disagree.  The rise of the popularity of internet annonimity has made it easier than ever to trollface people left, right and center.  The difference between today and thousands of years ago?  We used to tear each other apart with swords and battle axes and bows and arrows; the gladiators and other spectacular and equally catestrophic events of the Roman coliseum were very much real.  We haven't really changed; we've just suppressed our ways thanks to social awareness.  The problem?  Now it is becoming just as socially acceptible to consider ourselves a collective where numbers matter more than meaninful friendships and reputation is based on how many connections and contacts you can forge rather than actual relations.

There's truth in that, yes.  For the record?  I'll never say I'm perfect at it, but I try not to.

I agree with everything you said, @1. The holidays is a time for love and joy.

Not usually. Each person's situation is different, but I have seen an influx of preemptive notions of upcoming fighting during the holidays and what to watch out for, especially on Twitter. More than I've ever seen in a given year. To be clear there were always stories here and there of shit going down, but I have never seen so many people publicly dreading coming home for the holidays because they are afraid they'll get tossed in the middle of some infighting. Yes, it's an epidemic. The same adults who tell their kids they spend too much time on their phone are scouring Facebook and starting trollbate over nothing like it's their 9to5. It's come to the point where younger people are doing more to rid themselves of a social media addiction than the adults who were previously trying their damnedest to do exactly that while not aplying the same standard to themselves. Funny how the tables turn.

I know this isn't a good moment to end this decade...

Once upon a time, a scientist in Spain who really hated bull-fighting decided that the only way to stop it was to create a talking bull.
If, he reasoned, the bull was able to speak, to explain how painful and cruel a time the bull had in the bull ring, nobody but an utter sadist could bare the bull fights to continue. All that was needed, the scientist thought was a bit of common understanding and human decency would do the rest.

so, the scientist worked very hard. He cross bred various species of cow, augmented the cow's brains, even surgically altered the cows teeth and tongues so that they could speak human speech.

After 10 hard years work, he finally had it, an intelligent bull who  speak and reason.
The scientist spent several more years educating his bull, the bull read ethics and philosophy, he studied the arts, read many classic novels, even learnt mathematics and algebra, though the scientist was always careful to make sure the bull never read anything with a reference to bullfighting since he did not want to bias his experiment.

The bull indeed was a peaceful creature, who loved all living things, and even tried to avoid eating flowers as he grazed because he didn't want to kill the bees.

The scientist indeed had almost decided the bull was far too beautiful and gentle a spirit to complete his experiment, accept that a local matador saw the bull grazing beside the lab, and seeing that it was obviously such a fine, strong looking bull, thought it would be perfect for the arena.

The night before the big fight, the scientist talked patiently to the bull. The bull reaffirmed the fact that he loved all living things, that life was sacred, that violence was only justifiable when all other methods had failed, and even then, only the minimal amount of violence necessary for self defence.

The next day, the gates and the bull ring opened. In one side strode the matador,, swirling his red cape and flourishing his sword.
In the other came  the bull, one of the picador's lances stuck in it's behind.

the Bull didn't wait for the bell, but lowered his head and charged straight forward, the matador only just getting out of the way.

"but what about non violence? What about peaceful means?"

The scientist shouted to the bull.

"He's got a sword! "

The bull replied.

The scientist tried shouting again, but with the thunder of his hooves, the bull couldn't hear him.

The bull, being especially intelligent, killed the matador, but was badly wounded itself in the process.

The scientist was able to speak to the bull at the end.

"why didn't you use your words, why didn't you talk to him? Why didn't you explain that you were another rational creature."

The bull replied.

"The pain is mightier than the words."