By George Cooper:
Assuming she could get a visa, a visitor to the US from abroad would find, with some exceptions, a prosperous country with friendly, gregarious, and industrious people. She would see occasional political bumper stickers on cars and trucks and a few residual political yard signs. Conversations in coffee shops might indicate whether she was in a blue or red area. But, if she stayed away from cable news, she would likely come away thinking that America is doing well.
Underlying this façade are deep fissures. Many, justifiably, feel left behind in an economy where a disproportionate amount of wealth flows to those who already have the most. Tepid growth in wages leaves most people with little to show for their efforts. Some can keep pace financially, but far too many are falling inexorably behind. For them, the American Dream appears out of reach.
Distrust is rampant. Distrust of government, distrust of the media, distrust of foreigners, and– most concerning–a distrust of one’s fellow citizens. Demagoguery, along with coarse and fallacious public discourse, encourage this distrust.
Most agree with the statement: “Our country is going in the wrong direction.” Agreement ends abruptly there. The “wrong” direction is entirely different depending on whether one breaks to the right or left politically. Rampant tribalism encourages a stiffening of views enhanced by one’s echo chamber of choice and the respective bubble in which one lives. Technology has played a significant, yet little understood, role in this. Virtually everyone can become a talking head, myself as a point in case. Add bots and trolls to the equation, and you have a seething maelstrom of genuinely held views alongside the mischief spread by said bots and trolls, creating a witches brew of epic discontent.
What divides us can be distilled down to the politically toxic trifecta of money, religion, and guns. These are the three pillars of twenty-first century American tribalism; currently, there is no end in sight to their destructiveness.
America has perhaps never seen itself as others do. Maybe that’s why we so little understand the rest of the world. No doubt, America is going through a rough patch. Which reminds me of the pithy line, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” We will, but we won’t be the same on the other side.
Tell us: What are you wondering about? Where will be if our hypothetical visitor see us in ten years’ time? Still heading straight for hell, or on another path?
Note from Kathie MM: Article republished with permission. Visit George at www.NotesfromAcrossthePond.com