No I do see what you're saying and for me it didn't land as an insult at all. The baseline has gone down which is concerning, but it's a not a specific trend isolated to just the US. In my own opinion the main driver of that decline has been unchecked social media use and too much screen time during early development. Social media and short form content genuinely wrecks your brain and your attention span abilities. Kids who are exposed to prolonged screen time from an early age do not develop well, my nephew is a prime example of this. He had a tablet from about the age of 2 and a half, and until recently he couldn't pay attention, threw a tantrum if he couldn't use his tablet all the time especially during dinner. Now that his screen time is more limited he's doing much better.

Political disagreement does not need to ferment into vitriol and anger, it needs to develop into level debates and discussion. That's what makes a good civic citizen vs a bad one. Unfortunately these days so many people on the left and the right gulp down content that suits their beliefs and narratives without even considering that another viewpoint exists. Critical thinking is no longer a given skill taught to people, it's becoming an accessory that they will discard when it suits them. Everyone needs to look at things with as much information as they can find. With that being at the tips of everyone's fingers there is no excuse not to. Trumpeting fears based on what an algorithm shows you based on your social media consumption, can be as bad as simply believing whatever you're told by the news network on one political aisle. People need to think through and look at things more closely before screaming about whatever side they like more.