Why everyone is so crazy

A "better," more competitive media market is poisoning our psyches

(Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Walking around day-to-day in Kerr County, Texas, where Donald Trump got 75% of the vote (down from 76% in 2016 and Mitt Romney’s 79% as part of the slow-but-steady bluing of Texas) for a couple of weeks, you notice two things.

One is that basically none of the stuff that bothers conservatives about contemporary life in America is happening. Nobody is introducing themselves with their pronouns, there are no Black Lives Matter signs, the local government officials aren’t talking about equity initiatives, and 100% of the virtue signaling is people putting up giant crucifixes or having Bible verses on the walls of their stores. It’s just a very conservative place where the overwhelming majority of people have conservative political opinions, and those who don’t are not incredibly eager to advertise that fact.

But the town is also not seething with rage in some obvious way against the Biden-era political order. People are just living their lives …