By Carla HintonFaith editor chinton@oklahoman.comPolarization is manifested in several ways, especially when it comes to hot-button issues like politics, religion and sexuality.Reactions to a Facebook post degenerate into nasty name-calling.Neighbors trade snide comments about a yard sign.A particularly vulgar tweet maligns someone's character — and thousands of people retweet it.With the presidential election year just getting started, heated conversations and divisive discussions seem to be ramping up.But it doesn't have to be that way.Political science professor Loren Gatch likened the current polarization to a virus that can be contained."If we're careful, like washing our hands, we can keep it from spreading," he said.The University of Central Oklahoma professor said if ever there was a time to keep oneself infection free, so to speak, this is it.Read more on NewsOK.com