I am in the US and its gotten very political but as pretty much a peon do I just tune the stuff out thinking its fear mongering? Or should I closely pay attention to it?

Personally, I'm tunning it out. The only time I dive into it is around elections so I can make an informed vote. But, after that it seems like I'm utterly powerless to change anything.

I used to think being informed would come in handy to change people's minds, but that never happens. People have to change their own minds.

See also: https://lemmy.today/post/22524765