Commentary

“A Cure for Wellness” is an overly ambitious mess of a movie. It only gleaned a fraction of its imposing $40 million budget during its run on the silver screen. Marketed as a horror and a thriller (but more accurately, a horrible thriller), “A Cure for Wellness” follows a young stockbroker named Lockhart who is whisked off to a strange spa in Switzerland. Lockhart quickly notices the patients drink an inordinate amount of water every day. The patients think the water is making them well, but it’s in fact a toxic tonic made from eel sweat.

A similar phenomenon is happening today. Maybe it’s not sweaty eel water – perhaps it’s hate.

In an unsettling trend, liberals are doubling down on hate across social media platforms.

On Twitter, the condescending “Trump Regrets” account retweets startled Republicans who find out that they may lose insurance due to the weight of pre-existing conditions under Trump’s proposed American Care Act. Instead of creating a conversation, @Trump_Regrets (and on Tumblr, the similar Trumpgrets) is more centered around laughing at others’ misfortune.

Joy Snow (@SnowRyman) tweeted “@realDonaldTrump I voted for you. I have Crohn’s and private insurance. I’m 61. I must have pre existing [sic] conditions in my insurance plan.”

Joy’s tweet went viral and made its rounds on the internet, much to the amusement of bad liberals. Shortly after, she switched to a private account.

Equally troubling, these problematic accounts imply a binary of opinion: that humans are mechanical creatures, devoid of any autonomy. As if we’re born either Republican or Democrat. Humans are kaleidoscopic and dynamic and quite capable of changing their opinions or beliefs over time. Suggesting otherwise reinforces the gravity of echo chambers.

After an especially contentious election, further political polarization is the last thing America needs.

There are artful and empathetic ways to talk about this jilted feeling.

The Los Angeles Times published a somber piece about a woman fearing shifts to the current insurance landscape. Noam Levey’s detailed reporting wasn’t just heartfelt, it was human.

It seems like a given, but the left and right shouldn’t rejoice in the bad that happens to one another. Hate is counterproductive. The left won’t ever mend its fractured base by creating a new platform built on hypocrisy and hubris.

It may feel good at first, but hate is a toxic tonic that every person should stay far away from. Only then can America return to civility in daily discourse.