...Those who hide behind anonymous social media usernames can give in to their worst impulses, saying things that likely would have been kept under wraps in a different era. And some who use their name, like Coulter or former President Donald Trump, have made a career out of personal attacks. Alex Jones, who once might have been confined to a carnival barker career or selling snake oil decades ago, has instead made millions peddling conspiracy theories hosting InfoWars.

Traditional accountability mechanisms, such as the court system and legacy media, have struggled to keep up. It’s an unsettling place to be, one that calls for introspection on all our parts. What kind of information consumers are we? Do we know how to differentiate between credible and noncredible sources of information? Are we teaching our children that valuable skill?

Thankfully, moments of humanity have long graced political campaigns and will continue to do so, even if we don’t collectively deserve or appreciate them. One happened in the south metro in 2008, when John McCain, who was the Republican candidate for president that year, defended his opponent Barack Obama as a “decent family man” after a woman in the Lakeville audience accused Obama of being an untrustworthy “Arab.” President Joe Biden’s befriending a youngster with a stutter is another example.

Gus Walz’s pure, unfiltered love for his dad was another such inspiring moment and will be remembered long after the DNC departs Chicago. It ought to be celebrated. This is what being “pro-family” looks like in real life.
If your instinct is to deride the boy or his parents for that, you’re the problem.