In 1938 humans were offered three global stories to choose from, in 1968 just two, and in 1998 a single story seemed to prevail. In 2018 we are down to zero. No wonder that the liberal elites, who dominated much of the world in recent decades, are in a state of shock and disorientation. To have one story is the most reassuring situation of all.

Prosocial forms of escapism, then, have their uses. Right now, though, anti-Trump Americans are at risk of embracing a less productive form of retreat: Rather than deepening our social connections to others, Americans withdraw by spending more time at home and on their own.