In late June, Braver Angels, a citizens’ movement seeking to mitigate partisan hatred at the grassroots, held its annual convention in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Of the 57,000 Americans who have participated in Braver Angels workshops nationwide, 750 attended the convention. On the first night, June 27, they gathered in the chapel of Carthage College to watch the televised debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The response among both “red-leaning” and “blue-leaning” members was dismay—directed not at each other (that would have violated the spirit of the occasion) but at the grim déjà vu of having to choose between the same two faces as four years before.

Shortly thereafter, one face got replaced, and the election, of course, proved decisive in favor of the other. To some Americans this portends a bright future; to others it augurs the end of civilization. So, partisan hatred is not likely to abate, and recent polls show a fair number of Americans think the country is on a path to civil war.

On the second night of the Braver Angels conference, there was a screening of the movie Civil War, which was still being discussed two months after its April release. As of today, the film has made $126 million at the box office. And it will doubtless make more through streaming. Not bad against a production budget of $50 million. It’s worth noting that