We've certainly taken a turn but it's by no means unique to the U.S.; the U.K., Canada, France and other Western outposts have also seen a similar shattering of spirit, the ungluing of social cohesion, loss of faith in tomorrow's promise and dearth of confidence in their own inherent goodness.
But beneath the wreckage are many individuals on a path back to their own light, who will be the wayshowers and help rebuild this rock brick by brick. The numbers of these people are growing, but you wouldn't necessarily see it because they don't engage in the toxicity of social media drama.
You're not at all wrong Geoff, but none of those other countries (at least post-WWII), offered such a thing as 'the American dream' or positioned themselves as the 'shining city upon a hill', an example for the rest of the world to aspire to and follow. We believed it, we really did, so when the US becomes corrupt, unequal and amoral it has a shattering impact on the rest of the world.
I appreciate your optimism though and I know there are millions of good people who will, eventually, rally and respond. America is nothing if not a country of incredible possibilities!
You might be interested in reading An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser. Sure, the book has some narrative faux pas, but he was on to something about what a troubled road America was on. And it was written 100 years ago….
On it! And I am going to make a similar recommendation in return Brenda. You may not know or care much about Brexit but I was floored to find that George Orwell predicted the entire thing 100 years earlier in his essay 'The Lion and the Unicorn' from the slim book of essays 'Why I Write'. Just goes to show that history repeats and its worth looking back to see the way forward.
Oh wow- sounds familiar, maybe i read it years ago. Now i’m going to look it up again. Perfect timing, as i am working on an article on AI’s role in writing and am using an Orwell blue plaque as a starting point. A pub down the street from my son’s flat shows ‘Orwell drank here’. Love it!
Oh and Brexit left me shaking my head at the short-term, myopic thinking of those who bought & sold it. Human nature? Orwell saw it all too clearly.
Thank you. Doesn't make it any less sad (or problematic and potentially catastrophic), obviously — but the way you framed it and the fact that you took the time to do so somehow meant my nervous system could relax for a bit.
Well I'm glad to hear that Cicci, hopefully my love of the country came through in the first 80% of the post. I would love to rekindle that love one day. Now, make yourself a cup of tea, stick on some whale song and chill!
The first I heard was 'Welcome To Paradise' from their 'Dookie' LP. My mate Dave, who was always into the most cutting edge music, played it to me and I was blown away by the energy and the melody. A couple of weeks ago I was digging in a thrift shop in Singapore and found a copy of their very first release from 1989 on 7" vinyl with a photocopied sleeve called '1,000 Hours' - they even had a different drummer. I was well happy with that :-)
The first two bands are The Mamas and the Papas and the Beach Boys. I'd have to look up the others, which I suppose is cheating.
I live in America and I'm sorry we've disappointed you. We've disappointed ourselves, to be honest. But identity politics doesn't have to be divisive. At one Democratic National Convention, Bill Clinton gave a speech that said in part that that party had a very large tent, that we would take anybody. There's beauty in diversity, which is where we get terms like "melting pot." And my church, the Unitarian Universalist Church, celebrates our diversity. But you're right, there is too much divisiveness. The failure of many local newspapers meant that we're no longer consuming news the way we used to; we're not exposed to both sides of the story. The rise of the Internet didn't help (actually I forget which came first). Living here has never been scarier, at least for me but I too am white.
Anyway, I'm sorry, world. Maybe in four years things will be better and hopefully we can mend fences (assuming the Republicans don't amend the Constitution to let Trump run for a third term, but maybe he'll die before then). Sone of us still believe in things like alliances for good.
Firstly, you are correct about the first two bands, I can also tell you that the bands become more recent with each heading if that helps?
Secondly, you mustn't apologise, it's not your personal fault, it's a massively complex set of causes that no one individual can be accused of creating (but, I suppose, plenty of individuals can be accused of not opposing - just look at the inaction of the Dems right now?).
I am not at all opposed to diversity, I live in a different country to the one I was born in and am in a mixed marriage but the biggest tent of all, as far as I am concerned, is class and that's where the battle lines need to be drawn - between the working class and the billionaire class. We can all unite behind that I would hope, no matter our gender, colour or sexuality? I would implore you to watch the Ice-T video at the bottom of the article, he makes a brilliant case for this (if you can't stand the music, just mute it and turn on the close captions lol!).
I am hoping Substack is one of the solutions to the decline of local journalism, there is a brilliant example from the UK called The Mill, which covers Manchester, Simon Owens wrote a great case study of it on his Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-157031891?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
Your Church sounds very welcoming and uplifting and is the kind of local, community organisation that we need more of to build strong bonds with our neighbours rather than with online interest groups or, God forbid, AI avatars!
Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment and all the best, N
Neal, your insightful take on the current (downhill) state of affairs in the U.S. would be very well received by *any* American who is bothering to wake the f--- up and pay attention. And I believe that your perspective is bolstered by the fact that you've seen my country from afar; you've been able to see the deconstruction of a once-great society bit by bit, over time. (Many Americans, however, are like the proverbial frog in the boiling water; the liquid is heating up, so many can't fee it -- or they do what they're so very good at: they deny it.)
I believe that "Orange Hitler" (I call 'em like I see 'em!) is more a symptom than a cause. He and his minions now serve as a rear-view mirror into where America was, and how desperate they've become to vote for a con man straight out of central casting (that's a nod to my hometown of La-La-Land, in the shadow of Hollyweird.
Other than enacting my own personal "news blockade" (avoiding ALL news for my health, frankly), I don't know what the answer is. But at least it's gratifying to see that someone on the other side of the planet is paying attention. And I thank you for that.
We've certainly taken a turn but it's by no means unique to the U.S.; the U.K., Canada, France and other Western outposts have also seen a similar shattering of spirit, the ungluing of social cohesion, loss of faith in tomorrow's promise and dearth of confidence in their own inherent goodness.
But beneath the wreckage are many individuals on a path back to their own light, who will be the wayshowers and help rebuild this rock brick by brick. The numbers of these people are growing, but you wouldn't necessarily see it because they don't engage in the toxicity of social media drama.
The ship will turn around.
You're not at all wrong Geoff, but none of those other countries (at least post-WWII), offered such a thing as 'the American dream' or positioned themselves as the 'shining city upon a hill', an example for the rest of the world to aspire to and follow. We believed it, we really did, so when the US becomes corrupt, unequal and amoral it has a shattering impact on the rest of the world.
I appreciate your optimism though and I know there are millions of good people who will, eventually, rally and respond. America is nothing if not a country of incredible possibilities!
Good luck, N
You might be interested in reading An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser. Sure, the book has some narrative faux pas, but he was on to something about what a troubled road America was on. And it was written 100 years ago….
On it! And I am going to make a similar recommendation in return Brenda. You may not know or care much about Brexit but I was floored to find that George Orwell predicted the entire thing 100 years earlier in his essay 'The Lion and the Unicorn' from the slim book of essays 'Why I Write'. Just goes to show that history repeats and its worth looking back to see the way forward.
Oh wow- sounds familiar, maybe i read it years ago. Now i’m going to look it up again. Perfect timing, as i am working on an article on AI’s role in writing and am using an Orwell blue plaque as a starting point. A pub down the street from my son’s flat shows ‘Orwell drank here’. Love it!
Oh and Brexit left me shaking my head at the short-term, myopic thinking of those who bought & sold it. Human nature? Orwell saw it all too clearly.
Thank you. Doesn't make it any less sad (or problematic and potentially catastrophic), obviously — but the way you framed it and the fact that you took the time to do so somehow meant my nervous system could relax for a bit.
Well I'm glad to hear that Cicci, hopefully my love of the country came through in the first 80% of the post. I would love to rekindle that love one day. Now, make yourself a cup of tea, stick on some whale song and chill!
Basket Case was Green Day's breakout hit, as far as I know.
I hope they or a videographer do a remake of their song American Idiot.
The first I heard was 'Welcome To Paradise' from their 'Dookie' LP. My mate Dave, who was always into the most cutting edge music, played it to me and I was blown away by the energy and the melody. A couple of weeks ago I was digging in a thrift shop in Singapore and found a copy of their very first release from 1989 on 7" vinyl with a photocopied sleeve called '1,000 Hours' - they even had a different drummer. I was well happy with that :-)
Might want to add Joe Bageant on your reading list, if you haven't already.
I'm not familiar but will seek him out - thanks for the recommendation!
The first two bands are The Mamas and the Papas and the Beach Boys. I'd have to look up the others, which I suppose is cheating.
I live in America and I'm sorry we've disappointed you. We've disappointed ourselves, to be honest. But identity politics doesn't have to be divisive. At one Democratic National Convention, Bill Clinton gave a speech that said in part that that party had a very large tent, that we would take anybody. There's beauty in diversity, which is where we get terms like "melting pot." And my church, the Unitarian Universalist Church, celebrates our diversity. But you're right, there is too much divisiveness. The failure of many local newspapers meant that we're no longer consuming news the way we used to; we're not exposed to both sides of the story. The rise of the Internet didn't help (actually I forget which came first). Living here has never been scarier, at least for me but I too am white.
Anyway, I'm sorry, world. Maybe in four years things will be better and hopefully we can mend fences (assuming the Republicans don't amend the Constitution to let Trump run for a third term, but maybe he'll die before then). Sone of us still believe in things like alliances for good.
Firstly, you are correct about the first two bands, I can also tell you that the bands become more recent with each heading if that helps?
Secondly, you mustn't apologise, it's not your personal fault, it's a massively complex set of causes that no one individual can be accused of creating (but, I suppose, plenty of individuals can be accused of not opposing - just look at the inaction of the Dems right now?).
I am not at all opposed to diversity, I live in a different country to the one I was born in and am in a mixed marriage but the biggest tent of all, as far as I am concerned, is class and that's where the battle lines need to be drawn - between the working class and the billionaire class. We can all unite behind that I would hope, no matter our gender, colour or sexuality? I would implore you to watch the Ice-T video at the bottom of the article, he makes a brilliant case for this (if you can't stand the music, just mute it and turn on the close captions lol!).
I am hoping Substack is one of the solutions to the decline of local journalism, there is a brilliant example from the UK called The Mill, which covers Manchester, Simon Owens wrote a great case study of it on his Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-157031891?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
Your Church sounds very welcoming and uplifting and is the kind of local, community organisation that we need more of to build strong bonds with our neighbours rather than with online interest groups or, God forbid, AI avatars!
Thanks for leaving such a thoughtful comment and all the best, N
Neal, your insightful take on the current (downhill) state of affairs in the U.S. would be very well received by *any* American who is bothering to wake the f--- up and pay attention. And I believe that your perspective is bolstered by the fact that you've seen my country from afar; you've been able to see the deconstruction of a once-great society bit by bit, over time. (Many Americans, however, are like the proverbial frog in the boiling water; the liquid is heating up, so many can't fee it -- or they do what they're so very good at: they deny it.)
I believe that "Orange Hitler" (I call 'em like I see 'em!) is more a symptom than a cause. He and his minions now serve as a rear-view mirror into where America was, and how desperate they've become to vote for a con man straight out of central casting (that's a nod to my hometown of La-La-Land, in the shadow of Hollyweird.
Other than enacting my own personal "news blockade" (avoiding ALL news for my health, frankly), I don't know what the answer is. But at least it's gratifying to see that someone on the other side of the planet is paying attention. And I thank you for that.