Ms. Winkler:  Thank you for your letter.  It reminds 0f the same when I was raised in Northern California.  Sadly, this country has deteriorated into a screaming match between people, activist groups and political parties.  The advent of Facebook and instant news has also contributed to this fiasco of news. 
I was raised where you were taught to say thank you, open the doors for females, to be respectful of all and to say please or your welcome.  One of the things that I very much remember was not to discuss politics in public or even at the family dinner table.
Keep your head high and rise above the muck that some people like to wallow in.

Robert Schoening
Coupeville, WA