Comment by anigbrowl

completely bizarre witnessing both sides getting so polarised around a basically non-issue

This isn't a sensible way to think about it. Every contentious conversation I've ever had has gone this way:

  Me:   why do people want to ban fluoride
  Them: [anti government paranoia]
  Me:   um...but how about tooth decay
  Them: pineal gland calcification
  Me:   idk sounds pretty far-fetched
  Them: THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK

It's irrational to complain about 'both sides' when only one side is insisting on making it into an issue. I generally just try to disegnage from people as soon as they start freaking out about fluoride/ chemtrails/ vaccinations etc, but people like this frequently treat skepticism as a personal attack. Increasingly they occupy positions of political power (see eg RFK) having acquired them by public displays of conviction rather than any objective criteria.