The thing is, we don't have a long enough time frame. People are generally sane, on average, but only when looked at on longer time frames. They really want progress.

However, when you're in the middle of a revolution you don't really want to be there.

Basically, probably the next generation will be able to tell how bad things really were and if by their time things are truly better.

The dark ages were a time of much greater repression with worse consequences for non-compliance.

It might be true that the current cycle of anti-intellectualism will continue beyond our lifetimes, but we’ve recovered from worse.

I think that quality of discourse will continue to exist, but web pages may not be it.