"In the nine years since the last American Dream trip, I’ve come to realize I don’t like America, not as a place to live. We have an ugly, selfish, winner-take-all culture — devoid of community, meaning, and the majestic — and almost all our policy is built around the notion that individual liberty, with the most stuff at the cheapest pr…
"In the nine years since the last American Dream trip, I’ve come to realize I don’t like America, not as a place to live. We have an ugly, selfish, winner-take-all culture — devoid of community, meaning, and the majestic — and almost all our policy is built around the notion that individual liberty, with the most stuff at the cheapest price, is the ultimate good."
I appreciate you saying, maybe even admitting, this. The dark side of "individual liberty" presents as "every man for himself" - and that has been the ascendant feeling in a country that has minimal safety net, minimal family support, zero job security, and financial ruin seemingly always around the corner. The housing crisis of 08-09 likely exacerbated this dark side, as so many millions of people were kicked out of their houses - I think there was a collective, "wtf is this? why would a country let this happen?" Yet with no clear solutions or avenues for change as any collective support system is immediately branded socialism and people who would be open minded to it are browbeaten, propagandized, distracted into opposition.
Yes, there needs to be some kind of rise of spiritual and general life fulfillment, but I do not see how that can happen in a country wracked by economic insecurity and a feeling of precipice.
"In the nine years since the last American Dream trip, I’ve come to realize I don’t like America, not as a place to live. We have an ugly, selfish, winner-take-all culture — devoid of community, meaning, and the majestic — and almost all our policy is built around the notion that individual liberty, with the most stuff at the cheapest price, is the ultimate good."
I appreciate you saying, maybe even admitting, this. The dark side of "individual liberty" presents as "every man for himself" - and that has been the ascendant feeling in a country that has minimal safety net, minimal family support, zero job security, and financial ruin seemingly always around the corner. The housing crisis of 08-09 likely exacerbated this dark side, as so many millions of people were kicked out of their houses - I think there was a collective, "wtf is this? why would a country let this happen?" Yet with no clear solutions or avenues for change as any collective support system is immediately branded socialism and people who would be open minded to it are browbeaten, propagandized, distracted into opposition.
Yes, there needs to be some kind of rise of spiritual and general life fulfillment, but I do not see how that can happen in a country wracked by economic insecurity and a feeling of precipice.
True that