re: "Vandalizing Our Democracy" (The New York Times, November 22, 2020)
As the reality hit over recent decades that the American dream was for many a pretty tale that could never come true, it has been sad watching how the growing social divide enabled Trump to smash so much of the American ideals of political, economic, social and moral greatness.
The underlying problems are real, urgent and deep. Trump is the symptom, not the solution his supporters think, but unless the disease is treated without obsessing solely on them, the ugly symptoms can only worsen. I hope for America's sake that Biden has some radical therapies to rejuvenate the sad state he inherits.
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The above comment was submitted by Felix Qui to The New York Times article.
It is published there at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/opinion/trump-election-democracy.html#commentsContainer&permid=110273633:110273633
Also a reply:
ReplyDeleteWorth noting I think is that a couple of thinkers have given a solid analysis of the problems dividing not only the US but the populations of other liberal democracies. Historian Yuval Noah Harari, in applying the insights from his "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" (2015) directly addresses the current ills in his "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" (2018). Meanwhile, Harvard University's Micheal Sandel not only offers a similar analysis of the failure from the perspective of a renowned political philosopher, but also suggests some concrete steps to start healing the wounds that can lead to symptoms like Trump arising. Starting with the US experience of Covid-19, Sandel's "The Tyranny of Merit" (September 2020) seems to me required reading for policy makers of all political persuasions.
At:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/22/opinion/trump-election-democracy.html#commentsContainer&permid=110273633:110274493