Shapiro stated, 'I don't think it's a major issue for the Republican base. I think the president is exactly right to call this out for what it is, which is people who have fringe audiences.'
Grappling with the loneliness epidemic, the damaging role of social media on face-to-face socialising, and young people's struggles to interact with peers in the post-pandemic era, psychotherapists look for an explanation in the lack of 'community'. Sociologists talk about community as a solution for childcare shortages and the best way to support nuclear families. Anthropologists remind us about the power of collective rituals, and bring up examples of culturally diverse models of communal life.