19.
And finally, “Canadian living in Germany here. I think what’s going on is a perfect storm of a social contract eroded by unfettered capitalism, separate public spheres that function as echo chambers, and a two-party system that no one has bothered to update in a couple of fundamental ways. People are working harder than ever to be poorer and sicker, and they’re right to be alarmed about that. But the polarization is so bad that they think it’s the other party doing it to them because the other party is the party of hate and evil. I’m not saying both sides are equally terrible (there is one party I would rather have seen win the election). But if you believe you’re fighting evil itself, then no tactic is off limits, and that makes it really hard to cultivate a functioning democracy.”
“To some degree, most of North America and Europe face these same problems, but other countries have more robust social safety nets, multiparty systems, independent arm’s-length bodies to oversee elections and the drawing of electoral districts, and sometimes proportional representation. This means fewer people are in situations so desperate that the only solution they see is to break things. Politicians need to form coalitions with other parties to get things done. People can vote strategically instead of making it their identity and demonizing and dehumanizing those who voted differently, and no party can be blamed for the outcome of an election. It doesn’t solve all our problems by any means — we are all hurting from climate change, the affordability crisis, the housing crisis, and the prioritization of business over basic needs — but America is in a special kind of trouble right now.”
—Anonymous
