Why can't we all just be nicer to each other?

What has happened to us? The vitriol and over-the-top rhetoric — and worse — is out-of-control and has been so since at least 2016.

While I believe the largest share of hatred is a direct result of dark forces unleashed by Trump, I also believe the far right MAGA Republicans do not have a monopoly on hate speech.

In the past few years, I have been on the receiving end from anti-vaxxer fanatics of antisemitic phone calls, demonstrations outside my office and home, including posters with swastikas. Also, I have received disgusting tweets, some of which mentioned members of my family — and one of which was a picture of a noose — sick Facebook posts, antisemitic and threatening phone calls, and more.

Most of these people, who are from all over the country, are from the political far right. And many of them, in my opinion, are people with serious mental health issues.

Of course, many of the haters on Twitter feel free to spew their hate because they are anonymous, using pseudonyms. While I don’t generally respond to questions on Twitter (that’s what phone calls and emails are for), I never respond to a tweet from a pseudonym.

The divisive and outrageous rhetoric from many on the political right — including some elected officials — is directly responsible for conspiracy theories such as anti-vaxxers, election deniers, 9/11 deniers, birthers and others. There has been violence in some cases. For example, the failed coup on Jan. 6, 2021, the antisemitic mass murder at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and the racist mass murder at Tops Supermarket in Buffalo, just to name a few.

But let’s not fool ourselves into believing that hate speech and reckless rhetoric only come from the far right. Again, my personal experience is a good example. Last year, several disgraceful mass mailings from the far left were sent out attacking me during the primary election, which were financed by dark money. The mailings virtually blamed me for the horrific fire at Twin Parks North West in the Bronx where 17 people died.

Just a few weeks ago, a student-chosen speaker at the CUNY Law School graduation gave what was, in my opinion, a hate-filled and antisemitic speech attacking Israel, the United States, the New York Police Department, capitalism and more. Sadly, the political far left doesn’t count hate speech as hate speech if it’s coming from their direction.

And I know some peoples’ heads will explode when I say this, but many of the vicious attacks on Israel are tantamount to attacks on Jews.

And some of the very people who correctly criticize horrible rhetoric on the right defend horrible rhetoric on the left based on free speech.

Then there are the vicious attacks from some letter writers in The Riverdale Press who engage in some very nasty, negative and gratuitous attacks. Most letters to the editor in The Press are reasonable, whether I agree or disagree with the point of view.

But there are a few regular letter writers — and we all know who they are — who are just plain angry and mean, and have nothing better to do. No one takes these letters seriously, and they contribute nothing to genuine political discourse.

For me, letters like these have no impact on my thinking. You don’t like my opinion that vaccines save lives? Tough! You dislike me because I oppose antisemitism and the vilification of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East (and whose policies I don’t always agree with)? Too bad!

You don’t like that I stand up to overdevelopment and ill-advised and inappropriate projects, even at the risk of being accused of NIMBY? Deal with it!

There was a time when people who disagreed with each other could do so without hating each other.

It’s time we reject the extremists from the far reaches of the political spectrum and — as the saying goes — to disagree without being disagreeable.

The author is the Assemblyman representing an area that includes the greater Riverdale section of the Bronx