modern malaise

Alienation has become a plague: Many Americans no longer believe in America. That’s largely because, I argue here, they no longer have the freedom to take responsibility in their daily choices. Persistent failures feed the frustration and seed a culture of distrust. Instead of focusing on how to make things work, Americans obsess about what might g

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The social group is broken down into atomized individuals who fight for their right to fulfillment via professional advancement or personal consumption. This system is often sold to us as freedom. Those competing individuals never find true autonomy, however, because they lack the social fabric in which to exercise it.

Housel argues that expectations take a long time to change, and that people are still expecting to go back to the way things were in the 1950s, when working hard meant a good house, a good car, and social status. Trump leans into that, and Warren leans into that, but it’s a fairy tale. There’s no going back.  In absolute terms, Housel points o... See more