Grievances

David Brooks says we live in an abnormal time and he is right.

The problem is that the structure we had built since the advent of the industrial revolution has crumbled. That world had spawned an entire ecosystem which had impacted every facet of life. 

You could argue that it peaked in the 1950's when a large middle class benefited from a system that ran like a well-oiled machine. Even people who worked in blue collar factories could raise families mainly on a single salary. 

There was a social order created which demanded expectation but also provided predictable safety. 

By the early 2000's the destruction was all but assured. The financial crisis of 2008 and COVID made sure to punctuate that the model we had known was over. Every aspect of life has been put into question and is being reimagined in a world of extreme wealth disparity. 

The tonic we need according to Brooks is a return to kindness, fairness and moral clarity. We took an off ramp towards individualism and never found our way back to trying to help each other. 

Social media became a breeding ground for toxic stupidity that we are now trying to cleanse from our collective conscience. It turns out that stupid people are baked in whether we like it or not and they're not afraid to use it.

As Trumpism and the culture of perennial grievance fades away, we will need to find our way back to each other because we have little choice.