It’s officially summertime, and with COVID-19 waning across the country, the annual ritual of the summer blockbuster movie is upon us. Remember “Jaws,” “Ghost Busters,” and “Batman”? Can such summer fun be revived? America, after all, has become an increasingly divided nation. Consensus is no longer our strong suit—if it ever was. And all those differing opinions suggests that we have fewer things in common. Red and Blue states, those with coastal views and urban streets, are cut-off, emotionally, from the rural heartland. The politics of identity segregates by color, gender and sex, leaving Caucasian whiteness with a permanent stain.

America is once more in moral panic over mass shootings—especially in schools, where masks are no longer required for COVID-19, but flak vests for 5-year-olds aren’t such a bad idea. With the Supreme Court on the verge of deciding whether the Second Amendment allows gun owners to carry concealed weapons, and with some states tightening gun laws—with special emphasis on military assault-rifles—the violence of firearms is on everyone’s mind.