There is only one way: forward (which, by the way, is the motto of my home state of Wisconsin) and together. We cannot move forward if we’re so polarized and fixed in our thinking that the act of “listening” to the other side amounts to canned, party-approved responses that paint political opponents and our neighbors as “enemies” and “evil.”

It was a magic show. A magic show presented during a global pandemic that has killed millions. To help keep everyone safe from the virus and allow the “show to go on,” the organizers instituted a very simple attendance criteria that everyone wear a face covering to limit the spread of airborne particles that contain infectious disease.