One of the consequences of the recent polarisation of Australian politics is the loss of the middle ground that has traditionally held Australian society together. The trend in Australia tends to replicate the experience of liberal democracies elsewhere. But why is this happening? Are people really so fed up with living in liberal democracies that they wish to be part of their own undoing? The problem stems from the habitual use of our individual freedom to say whatever we like about politics as a safety valve. It got us through the pandemic, but in light of the changing nature of geopolitics, it has become a bad habit that we now take for granted to our own detriment.