I went back through this thread and noted where we were in February 2020 when I started it. So much has happened since then. It's been a remarkable 2 years. Regarding the initial question: Yes, it has been the plague of the century - so far. (How naïve I was then.)

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich