Thank you. I am sad that I mostly agree with this wonderful article. I think that the foundations are shaky. While I think Trump is likely to enact policies that I think will cause harm, what I find really unbearable is not that he was elected, but that he could be elected. Mainly because this demonstrate that the system has failed to convince most people that it is worth keeping.
there have also been concerted, well-funded attempts to sway people into believing it should all be burnt down. in some aspects there is truth; some of these organizations have lost their way. but the overarching ethos of interplanetary cooperation for the purpose of peace cannot be abandoned.
Thanks for the reply. I do not think we should burn it down, I think, many people do. Clearly mistakes have been made but as you point out there is a lot worth saving. Largely I still think the ideals of the enlightenment, the ideals of the EU are good ideals. But there is an every important need to convince others to cherish them. I fear this may no longer be possible.
The funniest thing about Trump is his supporters believe his first term was a success while Trump clearly believes he failed…how else can you explain the people he is nominating for his administration?? And the greater irony is that Trump’s first term wasn’t that bad and it was because he surrounded himself with Bush Republicans but Trump checked their worst impulses and Trump ended up being his own worst enemy.
If this response is to my comment then id suggest looking at the difference between "will cause harm" than "likely to enact policies." Secondly, what "I find really unbearable is NOT that he was elected."
To your first point. His first term saw a massive amount of job losses. Management of covid was terrible. The judges he appointed overturned Roe v Wade which has already resulted in loss of life. Most economists said that his proposed plans are likely to be worse for the economy and have a bigger impact on lower/middle class. I do not think words are violence but the kinds of discourses that this has.... I think all politicians lie but Trump has taken that to another level and this will serve as a model for other authoritarian leaders.
The management of COVID was why he lost re-election. It was worse than terrible. It was unconscionable to the point of criminality . I watched his pressers everyday and as I watched I had high hopes that he would at long last both surround himself with expertise (success on part of that)and listen to the expertise ( abject failure). I thought if he manages this well , he’ll get re-elected . And I hoped for US citizenry he would get it right - he couldn’t and I realized he’ll lose.
If we have another major crisis during this presidency , one wonders if it would be any better than this deplorable action - best predictors of future performance being past performance .
I’ll give you my feedback for what it’s worth. I don’t think that’s his primary purpose for running for office and for governing. I think he primarily needed to stay out of jail and stop court proceedings - that was the primary motivator. The secondary motivator was self enrichment - he views an arbitrage opportunity in which vast amounts of wealth can be transferred to him , his family , his cohorts , his admin. This happened in the first admin. A 3rd strong motivator for him is self aggrandizement - he has strong needs for public adulation . This is well documented too. The loss in 2020 was a deep psychic injury and he desperately needed to undo that and not fade into obscurity .
Since these are primary motivations , he’s not really interested in governance , the work of governance - he’s interested in the power trip, the money, the show. This is well documented - you can read several books on his Apprentice years. He golfed and tweeted a lot of the time the first admin- he’s older now - expect more of the same.
Since he’s not very bright , he’s not really able to select or surround himself with people who are very intelligent . And we can see from cabinet picks already - he doesn’t care about expertise at all. Just for the sake of argument , would you hire lawyers that didn’t know law? Drs that didn’t go to med school? A car mechanic who had no tech training ? That answer is “no.” So we can expect more of the same as the first admin.
Please go listen to the economists on how mass deportations are going to work, and how further tax cuts for the rich and corporations are going to work for the rest of us-> because they’re not going to work for the vast majority of us.
Dont believe me - read this article, read more articles - listen to economists on YouTube . There is not one that I’ve listened to that states these are valid, great plans for the US. Because they aren’t. What you can’t do is listen to RW propaganda - bc they’re not telling you the reality, they’re jus telling you what they want you to hear.
Very good, but one piece is missing: the new paradigm for competition. New digital technologies have next to zero marginal cost once the coding is done. Not having to move atoms around to meet a customer need, means that a "Gorilla Game" dictates speed to reach a dominant network position that creates enormous wealth for the few that work for the winners....Very different from the preceding economic models....
Thank you. Your insights are inspiring and have giving me more context and understanding after 11/5. Your last three paragraphs resonate with my Unitarian Universalist grounding of love, justice and compassion. You've helped me recenter, many thanks.
perhaps. but we must be sure not to confuse ideologues and charlatans with those who've acquired hard-earned expertise. on social media and in today's press, the former regularly pose as the latter.
Agreed. We know they’re not experts, but the average person doesn’t, unfortunately. I guess that’s where your plea for better internet literacy is so important.
Thank you for taking time and thought to reflect on our current political "situation" and add context. These ideas have been running through my brain, and your considered essay helps consolidate them into an ordered pattern. My husband and I have mused.... without the US military Draft obligation, and potentially less Civics or US Government classes in High School have the current generations of young men (and women) lost any loyalty to the concepts of US solidarity, or support for all fellow men? We are both aging products of the 60's and 70's and mourn the unity and dedication to ALL people having equal rights and opportunity. Old age is frustrating when the ideals of our youth appear to have been squandered by succeeding generations.
I’m excited for the future - Im 60 and I wanted something radically different . I just don’t think Trump and team will get us there, at all. He’s seen a niche for making money, so have his entire team and they’re there for wealth transfer. I also don’t want to rely on tech bros fan boys, mentally I’ll billionaires to lead the way. I worked with twenty something males in the 90s - no thank you. Lastly , how can I or we possibly be The News? The MSM? Covering stories responsibly , takes money. The truth Costs more than making up BS. One need look no further than the Haitians in OH story- yeah you can make up a story , and it’s an event , but it’s not reality, no matter how hard we try.
I’m calmer now , even though I think outcomes will be worse this go around, because I think most of the country isn’t invested in the burn it all down, no experts allowed mentality - but we have to follow this path to the end (hopefully 4 yrs) for folks to see for themselves .
Thank you for a wonderful and compelling article. Great food for thought. And I would tend to agree that the invasion of Iraq was a huge turning point, though I also believe the outsourcing of manufacturing that took place in the 90s was a significant prelude, if you will. A very united citizenry understood taking the fight to Afghanistan, Iraq just seemed so very very wrong and the case for invasion was built on lies. Forever wars have drained us as a people. We forgot about our own and this lack of attentiveness to our own people I see reflected daily in proliferation of homelessness and addiction, our many troubled schools, mental health issues in our young. Where do we start to rebuild? My take is we start with ourselves. In the time ahead, we will need to be the best we can be so as to have clarity of thought, intention and purpose. We need to focus on our own homes by taking care of one another. We acknowledge beauty in the world and seek it out. We treasure foundational knowledge that we know is good and pass that along to our children. And there is no substitute for a healthy community but it is up to us to make it so. And we stay connected. And I plan to stay connected to your writing, Jason. Thank you.
Thank you for your article Jason. There are many of us in the history space who are reflecting on all that has happened and what is about to happen. In the calm before the storm we need to connect with as many likeminded history thinking people. Not just academics but in the teaching profession to all those in classrooms trying to make sense of what is happening to our world.
agreed, thank you Daryl. I need to be better about being part of that connective tissue, so we can all learn from each other. I will be better moving forward.
Hi Jason, there are so many historians who have been doing such a great job since 2017, I think you mention a few in your book. And they are fired up in Trump's first administration - Timothy Snyder, Ruth Be Ghiatt, Jason Stanley, Heather Cox Richardson, and many more. But also indispensable are the historians, theologians, pastors, and other writers from the Christian Left (for want of the better word) who are critiquing Christian nationalism and are pushing back. They do us a service by explaining the origins, development and impact of Christian nationalism. eg Jim Wallis, Kristin du May etc. I'm reading 'The Power Worshippers' by Katherine Stewart and she has another book coming out soon. The more that all of these experts in different fields compare notes and connect with each other the moire effective will be the resistance to Trumpism that will rear its ugly head in the field of history and education. I'm an Australian and my son and his family live in Connecticut. I'm going to Boston the week after next to visit him and also to take part in the NCSS conference in Boston where a number of high profile historians will be speaking, including Heather Cox Richardson and Ken Burns. Also, I want to mix with fellow teaching colleagues to get a sense of how teachers and educationalist in the US see things. I will be interested in anything that you initiate through this network. All the best.
Thank you for this article and so appreciative of this larger context that recognizes trump as an outcome and a symptom of these larger trajectories. Agree with another commentator that the end of the article does appear to bring the 20th century knife to a 21st century gunfight. Am also concerned that the extreme weather events are driving hazard and responsive defensive behaviour in a way that is unprecedented in our historical experience. There is really no obvious likelihood of us meaningfully averting horrific climate consequences in this century so in my opinion we will see intensification of fear and protectionism and banditry of all kinds.
The thing about a nonlinearity is that it makes it harder to estimate the value of things.
If lots of people are living similar lives and seeing similar outcomes then naturally a collective notion of value starts to emerge. This happened in the mono-cultural 20th century with its fast food and its pop stars and its blockbuster movies.
If everything is deconstructed and disintermediated, then everyone’s path is different and the options become at once overwhelming and hard to evaluate. Combine this with the Opiate effects of social media then you get this cocktail of a multitude of opportunities without the means to identify the good ones. You get a fragmentary culture with no dominant currents that is susceptible to the spellbinding powers of demagogues.
That is depressing for those who would long for the security of the old golden age when everything made sense, but it means that for those who are willing to courageously try radical new ways of doing things, the opportunities are endless…
The French Revolution, once started, progressed along terrible dimensions that no one could have imagined at the start. I fear that this is where we may be now. For all our sakes, let us hope not.
What a great piece of writing and analysis. I wondered what you thought about if the self centeredness is what has led to increased loneliness. And if you feel we are trying to find a solution to the reality of a global world with global issues still operating within local institutions of governance.
Thank you. I am sad that I mostly agree with this wonderful article. I think that the foundations are shaky. While I think Trump is likely to enact policies that I think will cause harm, what I find really unbearable is not that he was elected, but that he could be elected. Mainly because this demonstrate that the system has failed to convince most people that it is worth keeping.
there have also been concerted, well-funded attempts to sway people into believing it should all be burnt down. in some aspects there is truth; some of these organizations have lost their way. but the overarching ethos of interplanetary cooperation for the purpose of peace cannot be abandoned.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for the reply. I do not think we should burn it down, I think, many people do. Clearly mistakes have been made but as you point out there is a lot worth saving. Largely I still think the ideals of the enlightenment, the ideals of the EU are good ideals. But there is an every important need to convince others to cherish them. I fear this may no longer be possible.
The funniest thing about Trump is his supporters believe his first term was a success while Trump clearly believes he failed…how else can you explain the people he is nominating for his administration?? And the greater irony is that Trump’s first term wasn’t that bad and it was because he surrounded himself with Bush Republicans but Trump checked their worst impulses and Trump ended up being his own worst enemy.
What are you talking about?? Why fo you assume that Trump will do harm?? That you find his election win unbearable?? How exactly?????
If this response is to my comment then id suggest looking at the difference between "will cause harm" than "likely to enact policies." Secondly, what "I find really unbearable is NOT that he was elected."
To your first point. His first term saw a massive amount of job losses. Management of covid was terrible. The judges he appointed overturned Roe v Wade which has already resulted in loss of life. Most economists said that his proposed plans are likely to be worse for the economy and have a bigger impact on lower/middle class. I do not think words are violence but the kinds of discourses that this has.... I think all politicians lie but Trump has taken that to another level and this will serve as a model for other authoritarian leaders.
The management of COVID was why he lost re-election. It was worse than terrible. It was unconscionable to the point of criminality . I watched his pressers everyday and as I watched I had high hopes that he would at long last both surround himself with expertise (success on part of that)and listen to the expertise ( abject failure). I thought if he manages this well , he’ll get re-elected . And I hoped for US citizenry he would get it right - he couldn’t and I realized he’ll lose.
If we have another major crisis during this presidency , one wonders if it would be any better than this deplorable action - best predictors of future performance being past performance .
I’ll give you my feedback for what it’s worth. I don’t think that’s his primary purpose for running for office and for governing. I think he primarily needed to stay out of jail and stop court proceedings - that was the primary motivator. The secondary motivator was self enrichment - he views an arbitrage opportunity in which vast amounts of wealth can be transferred to him , his family , his cohorts , his admin. This happened in the first admin. A 3rd strong motivator for him is self aggrandizement - he has strong needs for public adulation . This is well documented too. The loss in 2020 was a deep psychic injury and he desperately needed to undo that and not fade into obscurity .
Since these are primary motivations , he’s not really interested in governance , the work of governance - he’s interested in the power trip, the money, the show. This is well documented - you can read several books on his Apprentice years. He golfed and tweeted a lot of the time the first admin- he’s older now - expect more of the same.
Since he’s not very bright , he’s not really able to select or surround himself with people who are very intelligent . And we can see from cabinet picks already - he doesn’t care about expertise at all. Just for the sake of argument , would you hire lawyers that didn’t know law? Drs that didn’t go to med school? A car mechanic who had no tech training ? That answer is “no.” So we can expect more of the same as the first admin.
Please go listen to the economists on how mass deportations are going to work, and how further tax cuts for the rich and corporations are going to work for the rest of us-> because they’re not going to work for the vast majority of us.
Dont believe me - read this article, read more articles - listen to economists on YouTube . There is not one that I’ve listened to that states these are valid, great plans for the US. Because they aren’t. What you can’t do is listen to RW propaganda - bc they’re not telling you the reality, they’re jus telling you what they want you to hear.
Very good, but one piece is missing: the new paradigm for competition. New digital technologies have next to zero marginal cost once the coding is done. Not having to move atoms around to meet a customer need, means that a "Gorilla Game" dictates speed to reach a dominant network position that creates enormous wealth for the few that work for the winners....Very different from the preceding economic models....
Thank you. Your insights are inspiring and have giving me more context and understanding after 11/5. Your last three paragraphs resonate with my Unitarian Universalist grounding of love, justice and compassion. You've helped me recenter, many thanks.
Wow. Visionary.
I think “self-centered” is key to understanding the electorate and people in general.
Couldn’t it be argued that people just have different ideas of who the “experts”are?
perhaps. but we must be sure not to confuse ideologues and charlatans with those who've acquired hard-earned expertise. on social media and in today's press, the former regularly pose as the latter.
Agreed. We know they’re not experts, but the average person doesn’t, unfortunately. I guess that’s where your plea for better internet literacy is so important.
Thank you for taking time and thought to reflect on our current political "situation" and add context. These ideas have been running through my brain, and your considered essay helps consolidate them into an ordered pattern. My husband and I have mused.... without the US military Draft obligation, and potentially less Civics or US Government classes in High School have the current generations of young men (and women) lost any loyalty to the concepts of US solidarity, or support for all fellow men? We are both aging products of the 60's and 70's and mourn the unity and dedication to ALL people having equal rights and opportunity. Old age is frustrating when the ideals of our youth appear to have been squandered by succeeding generations.
I’m excited for the future - Im 60 and I wanted something radically different . I just don’t think Trump and team will get us there, at all. He’s seen a niche for making money, so have his entire team and they’re there for wealth transfer. I also don’t want to rely on tech bros fan boys, mentally I’ll billionaires to lead the way. I worked with twenty something males in the 90s - no thank you. Lastly , how can I or we possibly be The News? The MSM? Covering stories responsibly , takes money. The truth Costs more than making up BS. One need look no further than the Haitians in OH story- yeah you can make up a story , and it’s an event , but it’s not reality, no matter how hard we try.
I’m calmer now , even though I think outcomes will be worse this go around, because I think most of the country isn’t invested in the burn it all down, no experts allowed mentality - but we have to follow this path to the end (hopefully 4 yrs) for folks to see for themselves .
Thank you for a wonderful and compelling article. Great food for thought. And I would tend to agree that the invasion of Iraq was a huge turning point, though I also believe the outsourcing of manufacturing that took place in the 90s was a significant prelude, if you will. A very united citizenry understood taking the fight to Afghanistan, Iraq just seemed so very very wrong and the case for invasion was built on lies. Forever wars have drained us as a people. We forgot about our own and this lack of attentiveness to our own people I see reflected daily in proliferation of homelessness and addiction, our many troubled schools, mental health issues in our young. Where do we start to rebuild? My take is we start with ourselves. In the time ahead, we will need to be the best we can be so as to have clarity of thought, intention and purpose. We need to focus on our own homes by taking care of one another. We acknowledge beauty in the world and seek it out. We treasure foundational knowledge that we know is good and pass that along to our children. And there is no substitute for a healthy community but it is up to us to make it so. And we stay connected. And I plan to stay connected to your writing, Jason. Thank you.
Wow, this helped me understand our current situation so much... which is both good and bad.
Really appreciate this article/ thank you
Thank you for your article Jason. There are many of us in the history space who are reflecting on all that has happened and what is about to happen. In the calm before the storm we need to connect with as many likeminded history thinking people. Not just academics but in the teaching profession to all those in classrooms trying to make sense of what is happening to our world.
agreed, thank you Daryl. I need to be better about being part of that connective tissue, so we can all learn from each other. I will be better moving forward.
Hi Jason, there are so many historians who have been doing such a great job since 2017, I think you mention a few in your book. And they are fired up in Trump's first administration - Timothy Snyder, Ruth Be Ghiatt, Jason Stanley, Heather Cox Richardson, and many more. But also indispensable are the historians, theologians, pastors, and other writers from the Christian Left (for want of the better word) who are critiquing Christian nationalism and are pushing back. They do us a service by explaining the origins, development and impact of Christian nationalism. eg Jim Wallis, Kristin du May etc. I'm reading 'The Power Worshippers' by Katherine Stewart and she has another book coming out soon. The more that all of these experts in different fields compare notes and connect with each other the moire effective will be the resistance to Trumpism that will rear its ugly head in the field of history and education. I'm an Australian and my son and his family live in Connecticut. I'm going to Boston the week after next to visit him and also to take part in the NCSS conference in Boston where a number of high profile historians will be speaking, including Heather Cox Richardson and Ken Burns. Also, I want to mix with fellow teaching colleagues to get a sense of how teachers and educationalist in the US see things. I will be interested in anything that you initiate through this network. All the best.
The different era started September 11, 2001
certainly that's an argument that has some validity.
Or rather perhaps with the losses in IRaq and Afghanistan ? Starting in the old world , expecting a W, coming back with 2 Ls
Thank you for this article and so appreciative of this larger context that recognizes trump as an outcome and a symptom of these larger trajectories. Agree with another commentator that the end of the article does appear to bring the 20th century knife to a 21st century gunfight. Am also concerned that the extreme weather events are driving hazard and responsive defensive behaviour in a way that is unprecedented in our historical experience. There is really no obvious likelihood of us meaningfully averting horrific climate consequences in this century so in my opinion we will see intensification of fear and protectionism and banditry of all kinds.
The thing about a nonlinearity is that it makes it harder to estimate the value of things.
If lots of people are living similar lives and seeing similar outcomes then naturally a collective notion of value starts to emerge. This happened in the mono-cultural 20th century with its fast food and its pop stars and its blockbuster movies.
If everything is deconstructed and disintermediated, then everyone’s path is different and the options become at once overwhelming and hard to evaluate. Combine this with the Opiate effects of social media then you get this cocktail of a multitude of opportunities without the means to identify the good ones. You get a fragmentary culture with no dominant currents that is susceptible to the spellbinding powers of demagogues.
That is depressing for those who would long for the security of the old golden age when everything made sense, but it means that for those who are willing to courageously try radical new ways of doing things, the opportunities are endless…
The first 90% of the article is opposed to the old world order, and the last 10% proclaims -- wait for it -- the old world order.
The French Revolution, once started, progressed along terrible dimensions that no one could have imagined at the start. I fear that this is where we may be now. For all our sakes, let us hope not.
What a great piece of writing and analysis. I wondered what you thought about if the self centeredness is what has led to increased loneliness. And if you feel we are trying to find a solution to the reality of a global world with global issues still operating within local institutions of governance.