I've found so much the same thing. Most of us are decent people, many just ignorant of deceived. Its a small minority that do the dirty shit. But that tends to be true on every side. Conservatives are not immune to stupidity and ignorance.There is an oncologist at my Tuesday night horse shoes, who said, something to the effect of, Charlie Kirk spouted a lot of hate. He admitted that he had never heard of him before he was assassinated, and when I told him he was dead wrong he said, "Well, agree to disagree".
I've known this guy for years. He's not a bad guy at all. He's not very political, and he's not paying attention to the news. He is just ignorant, and he is trusting someone who is untrustworthy to describe reality for him. THAT is the main problem. I hunt and fish with a bunch of winder hangers. The one guy is a third generation glazer. They're Democrats. They hate Trump, but talking to them or hanging out with them you would never ever know, because they are no different than we are. They've just been programed by their union that they can't vote any other way or it will be the apocalypse for their business, and after three generations it is pretty deeply ingrained. That said, pick any issue or current event, and they will be right there with you as a normal, thinking, human being. There is an ignorance on the left that is just astounding, and it's mostly for people who are disengaged but believe the propaganda of leftist fanatics who pretend to deliver news.
Like you, I dont know the fix, but Charlie's asassination woke up a lot of them. I'm just wondering what the (truly evil) dark sides counter move will be. @Gunfighter14e2 and I have discussed this in PM. It will be large, and soon, they cant let this new found goodness live and grow. Be ready.