As the mom of adult kids, I felt sad right along with you as I read the end of this essay. My son is convinced that he will see the downfall of the US in his lifetime, and I can’t say I entirely disagree with him. You are completely right that identity politics and arguing on the internet is just trimming the foliage instead of rescuing (or uprooting) the whole diseased tree. I think we can all try in our conversations to talk about the real problem that is causing the rot--the way systems in the US exist to maximize profit for shareholders rather than to enrich ordinary people’s lives.
Laurie J. Marks’ worldbuilding in the Elemental Logic books springs from the assumption that family ties aren’t strictly defined by blood. Everybody lives in a 10-to-30 person pseudo-anarchist commune!
Also I’m going to start Glossolalia in about 90 minutes. Waiting for the plane to Iceland.
As the mom of adult kids, I felt sad right along with you as I read the end of this essay. My son is convinced that he will see the downfall of the US in his lifetime, and I can’t say I entirely disagree with him. You are completely right that identity politics and arguing on the internet is just trimming the foliage instead of rescuing (or uprooting) the whole diseased tree. I think we can all try in our conversations to talk about the real problem that is causing the rot--the way systems in the US exist to maximize profit for shareholders rather than to enrich ordinary people’s lives.
I predicted the end of US hegemony when I was 14! I said we had ten years left. 20 years later, I was a bit pessimistic, I suppose, but not by much!
Laurie J. Marks’ worldbuilding in the Elemental Logic books springs from the assumption that family ties aren’t strictly defined by blood. Everybody lives in a 10-to-30 person pseudo-anarchist commune!
Also I’m going to start Glossolalia in about 90 minutes. Waiting for the plane to Iceland.
I'll have to look into this book!
Hope you enjoy Glossolalia! Iceland is a good place for it