This made me realize that it is not the topic itself that repels me in cases like these, but rather the tone of the discussion surrounding it. The shrill panic, the complete confidence of absolutely everyone who has an opinion on the topic of their grasp on the vast and complex subject matter, and the ease with which they feel licensed to place blame on the people who -- well, what do you know? -- they happen to already dislike.
Any conversation I happen across on a topic of this nature seems statistically guaranteed to be free of facts, of unbiased analysis, of any substance whatsoever. Engaging in such discourse is an exercise in anti-information, and I have better things with which to fill my gray matter.
So, next time you see me suddenly vanish when discussion of a topical issue comes up, please understand it is not that I fail to realize the importance of the situation, nor that I lack thoughts on the subject.
Honestly, it's not me; it's you.