Mind-Shrinking and Radicalization in the USA

Today I bring you two opinion pieces which I just now read in the New York Times, and which I feel are very important bellwethers of our economic and social climate in the USA (which in turn affects the worldwide zeitgeist).

One: “The Shrinking of the American Mind,” by Roger Cohen. “Among the words or phrases that were never spoken in the two presidential debates were: Syria, human rights, drones, democracy, inequality, dictatorship, Israel, Palestine, Middle East, United Nations, World Health Organization, Guantánamo, European Union, Britain, Brexit, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Africa (or any single African state), South America, terrorism, multilateral, authoritarianism, alliance. That’s a pretty good measure of the shrinking of the American mind. …”

Two: “The Radicalization of a Small American Town,” by Brian Groh. “In my more charitable moments, I can see my neighbors’ xenophobia and racism … as symptoms of alienation from people who feel forsaken and disdained. This is, perhaps, the part of me that still feels deeply connected to where I live. But I’ve been appalled by the ugliness I’ve seen here this past year. And more often, in the dwindling autumn light, I find myself staring at my grandparents’ old farmhouse and wondering if it’s finally time to pack my bags. …”

Both pieces are brief and incisive. Hope you will appreciate them as much as I did! Truth, even when it’s not rosy, can be a refreshing tonic.