I am in the UK, so we have different issues but the general problem is the same - people assume their point of view is the only correct one and, by inference, everyone else is wrong. I was talking to someone recently on a subject and he made a statement and said: That's what everyone thinks.
I had to stop him and explain that it might be what all of his friends on Facebook think, but that's a small group of like-minded individuals and may not represent society as a whole. I think this was a new idea to him.
RE: Shutting Off Debate: Thou Shalt Think Like Us, Or Else