Two Americas
And two approaches to viable lives
Most of us, most of the time, are not political. We see our own failures as personal problems that can be “handled” by either doubling down on old-fashioned values such as hard work and good decision making or by reliance on a greater power or by medical interventions. That is, we believe that personal choices will empower us around or through the difficulties of modern society.
For many this is a good strategy. There have been real advances in the treatment of mental illness and handling personal setbacks. And some of us probably just need a good kick in the butt.
But this is a road much easier to travel for the credentialed, educated and relatively wealthy, middleclass, who are able to access, understand and utilize professional services and make personal adjustments in their lives.
For the many who have lost social ties and are battered by economic and political structures the prospect is bleak. To handle despair, anxiety and remorse, they are more likely to turn to destructive “self-medications” or political scams, i.e. the fantastic claims that immigration or world trade, or a critical study of American history is the root of their problems.
It is ironic that when people turn to such political hucksters for help, they are not far from looking in the right place. Factors over which they have little control have shaped their opportunities and limited their success. They are right to look to politics for some of the “cures.” But much of what they receive is modern “snake-oil.”
It is also ironic that the very people who turn away from government action and focus on strengthening themselves for a good life, inside the “beast,” are those who have the knowledge and power to lead the way to practical government-based reforms of our economic system.
I don't think our government is capable of practical government-based reforms of our economic system as long as our oligarchs are able to tap into our "victims" of white christian nationalists, neo-confederates, and neo--fascists. A shockingly high number of these people openly tout the overthrow of our pseudo-democracy to install truth tellers like Trump in office over elections. I say pseudo-democracy because it's hard to argue that when money speaks louder than words and governments choose their own voters so that someone like me can be represented in congress by a privileged dolt like Madison Cawthorn. And my state also elevated Mark Meadows to his position of power for the insurrection too. We used to ask, "what's wrong with Kansas". Now we ask what's wrong with the entire political right.