uplifting Fitz! I, too, have struggled with "patriotism" throughout my adult life. Tears during the playing of the National Anthem for an Olympic gold medal, yet utter disgust for the actions of our government in our name over centuries of turbid history. I guess one thing we can all agree on , Lady Gaga was bomb!
Thanks, Fitz! I'm hearing a lot of optimism this week, which is completely understandable. Personally, I'm not as optimistic about the fortunes of our nation.
First, I don't see a lot of evidence that leaders in this country, be they political, religious, academic or in business, have really grappled with why 46% of country voted for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. And no, simply leveling the "racist," "misogynist" or "generally backward" accusations won't due any more than calling liberal young adults "snowflakes" is a sound judgment. One could say that President Trump was those things, but it would neither be fair nor prudent to say as much about nearly half the U.S. population. Who is truly going to do the work to understand why half the country believed Trump may have been a better alternative to the platform or personalities offered by the left?
Second, I don't foresee a Biden administration, nor a democrat-controlled Congress, having the incentive to do the kind of work necessary to achieve real unity, despite the ubiquity of the word this week. Will President Biden, Speaker Pelosi or Leader Schumer pause to understand the opposition and their concerns? It's doubtful, in my opinion.
Unity hasn't been a hallmark of the United States for some time, not in the last four years nor for a long time before that. So this isn't meant to be some indictment that may fall anew on President Biden and his incoming administration. I'm simply not optimistic that this transition truly marks a real change in the "soul" of America.
Over the next couple years, the newly elected democrat majorities may take the country in directions progressives applaud, and for folks on the left that would be cause for optimism. But it won't be because we're a unified country. It will be because they have at their fingertips all levers of political power and can choose the short-sighted luxury of turning a deaf ear to half the nation. Then again, they could surprise me.
Anyway, I always enjoy reading your reflections. I happy you're offering them in a public forum once again.
uplifting Fitz! I, too, have struggled with "patriotism" throughout my adult life. Tears during the playing of the National Anthem for an Olympic gold medal, yet utter disgust for the actions of our government in our name over centuries of turbid history. I guess one thing we can all agree on , Lady Gaga was bomb!
Thanks, Fitz! I'm hearing a lot of optimism this week, which is completely understandable. Personally, I'm not as optimistic about the fortunes of our nation.
First, I don't see a lot of evidence that leaders in this country, be they political, religious, academic or in business, have really grappled with why 46% of country voted for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020. And no, simply leveling the "racist," "misogynist" or "generally backward" accusations won't due any more than calling liberal young adults "snowflakes" is a sound judgment. One could say that President Trump was those things, but it would neither be fair nor prudent to say as much about nearly half the U.S. population. Who is truly going to do the work to understand why half the country believed Trump may have been a better alternative to the platform or personalities offered by the left?
Second, I don't foresee a Biden administration, nor a democrat-controlled Congress, having the incentive to do the kind of work necessary to achieve real unity, despite the ubiquity of the word this week. Will President Biden, Speaker Pelosi or Leader Schumer pause to understand the opposition and their concerns? It's doubtful, in my opinion.
Unity hasn't been a hallmark of the United States for some time, not in the last four years nor for a long time before that. So this isn't meant to be some indictment that may fall anew on President Biden and his incoming administration. I'm simply not optimistic that this transition truly marks a real change in the "soul" of America.
Over the next couple years, the newly elected democrat majorities may take the country in directions progressives applaud, and for folks on the left that would be cause for optimism. But it won't be because we're a unified country. It will be because they have at their fingertips all levers of political power and can choose the short-sighted luxury of turning a deaf ear to half the nation. Then again, they could surprise me.
Anyway, I always enjoy reading your reflections. I happy you're offering them in a public forum once again.