As I look around our culture and politics these days what I see is a society overwhelmed by trauma. Sure we mostly came through the Trump years and their aftermath (for the moment) and while the pandemic has taken 800,000 and counting, a horrific number, obviously the vast majority of Americans have survived, even if we’ve been scarred by it emotionally and spiritually. But it’s obvious that we are a people in deep distress. This experience has America reeling.
I wish I felt super-optimistic that we will emerge stronger than before. After all, our forebears went through worse — world wars, years of depression, pandemics, apartheid, and more. This time is certainly no worse. But something is different right now and I think it has to do with the fact that our political culture is so decadent that we somehow installed a monstrous celebrity as our leader who created an irrational cult that is dominating our shared experiences. It has shaken our faith in our ability to govern ourselves.
It’s not about Trump personally or even the craven opportunists who surround him. It’s our fellow Americans who have been either brainwashed or so consumed by hate for anyone who isn’t like them that they happily signed on with an authoritarian cult that promises to keep them on top. The fact that these people won’t even save their own lives out of devotion to that cult is very disorienting — maybe the most disorienting thing I’ve ever witnessed. I honestly didn’t expect them to die in order to own the libs
What that says to me is that the whiff of violence that underlies our politics in the wake of January 6th, Rittenhouse and all the angry protests and violent threats against public health officials, school board members, election workers and politicians, is not hyperbolic. When I call it a death cult, I’m not kidding.
The mainstream media hasn’t been terrible in covering this but they haven’t been great either. (Today, CNN covered their own poll finding a 50/50 (49/51) approval rating for Biden as terrible news that shows he’s failing on every level.) So independent journalism remains important if you’re looking for analysis that isn’t “he said/ she said” or “both sides do it” and skews the narrative in ways that advantage the slash and burn Republicans.
Blogs like this and newsletters can help to fill that void. I don’t think it’s ever been more important to pay attention, remain engaged and stay informed. If you stop here from time to time to get our perspective on the news that has us all reeling on a daily basis, and are able to help support us in that endeavor, I would really appreciate it.
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