What’s wrong with us? We’re living in a tragedy but we don’t know how to do that
For the first time in my life, I fear for the future of our country
Gordon Wood, the great historian of the American Revolution, in assessing the flaws of Thomas Jefferson, came to a devastating conclusion. Our third president, he wrote, had “no tragic sense whatsoever.”
Gordon Wood, the great historian of the American Revolution, in assessing the flaws of Thomas Jefferson, came to a devastating conclusion. Our third president, he wrote, had “no tragic sense whatsoever.”
I mention this because as I was reading it, I instantly thought: We are now, in Trumpian America, living through a tragedy.
What does that mean? First, it means that things can get far worse than we ever suspected, and end horribly.
It also means that every day we will see good people dragged down into the mud, while middling people make the wrong decisions and contribute to the erosion of our freedoms. Sen. Lindsey Graham, for example, was a sprightly figure with a gimlet eye for the flaws of others, but lately he seems to be looking only for new opportunities to lick Trump’s golf shoes. Sen. Susan Collins inspired her constituents earlier this year, but lately seems to have committed herself to tepidly supporting the worst tax bill in modern times, as if weak support is an alibi.
When honest people must lie, when mediocre people decide to embrace evil, when evil takes on an air of inevitability — that’s a curtainraiser for tragedy.
But there’s more. People stuck inside tragedies often make the mistake of thinking they are nearing the end when they are only in Act I. And that is where I think we stand, still at the beginning of this long ride. All around us, the selfish and malevolent are thriving, flatterers are rising, and good people feel simply powerless.
What especially bothers me is this: For about a year now, I’ve feared for the future of our country, for the first time in my life. But lately, on top of that, I’ve begun to suspect that I won’t live to see the final act.
More from Foreign Policy
At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.
How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.
What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.
Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
