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“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.” —Jason Collins, April 2013

During a wide-ranging interview with “60 Minutes,” Ben Sasse — the former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse who announced he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer back in December — was asked if social media was to blame for the current state of American politics. His response stuck with me. After calling social media a “central piece” of our division, Sasse ultimately placed the blame at the feet of an older nemesis: segregation.

“I think one of the fundamental things that’s wrong in America is young people don’t know old people,” he told anchor Scott Pelley. “One of the things 15- and 17-year-olds need is 60-year-olds and 80-year-olds in their life. And so pure segregation is I think a fundamental sociological problem in America. And social media is like dumping gas on that.”

In addition to the separation of generations, Sasse pointed out how fissures stemming from class can also lead people to “bubble yourself into something that implies only your narrow demographic cohort or identity politics or market niche is where life is lived.”

Which is why trailblazers like my friend........

© Los Angeles Times