The Grand Illusion
This past weekend, General Stanley McChrystal made the observation on “Face the Nation” that Trump’s lack of character wasn’t the problem with the United States, but a symptom of a much wider loss of character in America.
While General McCrystal was absolutely correct, in my opinion, I would agree, partly because of what I wrote in February of 2018 (more than seven years ago):
“Trump is not so much primarily either solution or problem, but a symptom of what’s gone wrong in American politics and society…”
In part, in that earlier blog, I was talking about intransigence and not listening to anyone “on the other side,” but General McChrystal made that observation as well, and the fact that he did suggests that American beliefs – and the unwillingness to compromise with or listen to the other side – haven’t changed much, if at all, over the last seven years, except possibly for the worse.
The current budget legislation in the House of Representatives is a reflection of that. The legislation that failed in committee was essentially a mirror image of every budget proposal passed in the past decade – more spending for defense, mostly maintaining social programs currently, but with severe/modest (depending on viewpoint) budget cuts/reforms promised for the future. The Republican hardliners want more defense spending, heavy cuts in social programs and large tax cuts, primarily for the wealthiest taxpayers, while the Democrats want to maintain and often expand social programs, increase taxes on the wealthy, and cut defense spending, except where it impacts their own districts and/or states.
Neither side is being realistic, but it’s hard to expect realism from a nation that gorges on social media and reality shows, a nation that has watered down education so that everyone can pass, even if they haven’t learned anything and can’t write a coherent paragraph, and where far too many young people idealize cultures that are brutal and oppressive, while trashing their own country, which is far more open and freer than the cultures they support in their protests.
While Trump is, in my opinion, a miserable excuse for a human being, the majority of those voting elected him… and that strongly suggests that General McChrystal and I not only share views, but also are correct in viewing Trump as a symptom and not a cause.
So I asked AI/CoPilot.
Help me write a first draft answering this question: How do we solve a national or nation-wide character problem?
Sure! Here’s a first draft exploring how to address a national character problem:
Solving a Nationwide Character Problem
A nation’s character is shaped by its values, ethics, and collective behavior. When a country faces a character crisis—whether it’s a decline in integrity, accountability, or compassion—it requires a multi-faceted solution that touches culture, education, leadership, and civic engagement.
1. Education and Cultural Shift
One of the most effective ways to shape a nation’s character is through education. Schools should emphasize not only academic excellence but also ethics, emotional intelligence, and civic responsibility. Critical thinking, media literacy, and historical awareness should be foundational subjects to help citizens make informed decisions. Beyond schools, cultural institutions, media, and entertainment industries can promote narratives that encourage positive traits like honesty, empathy, and resilience.
2. Leadership and Accountability
A nation’s character is often reflected in its leaders. Holding public officials, business leaders, and influencers accountable ensures that integrity remains a societal priority. Policies that demand transparency and ethical behavior in government and business can curb corruption and inspire citizens to uphold these values. Leading by example—through leaders who demonstrate honesty, responsibility, and fairness—can gradually rebuild trust and encourage ethical behavior at all levels.
3. Strengthening Community and Civic Participation
Character isn’t just shaped at the individual level—it thrives in communities. Encouraging local involvement through volunteerism, mentorship programs, and civic engagement can reinforce a culture of compassion and cooperation. People who actively contribute to their neighborhoods and take part in democratic processes develop a sense of responsibility and commitment to a shared vision.
4. Reforming Economic and Social Policies
When inequality and systemic injustice persist, they undermine a nation’s moral fabric. Addressing issues like wealth disparity, accessible healthcare, and fair wages contributes to a more just society. Ensuring that social structures do not incentivize dishonesty or exploitation creates a culture where ethical behavior is rewarded rather than ignored.
5. Personal Responsibility and Everyday Actions
Ultimately, every individual plays a role in shaping national character. Small actions—such as standing up against misinformation, treating others with kindness, and demonstrating integrity in daily life—can accumulate into broader cultural change. A nationwide character problem isn’t solved overnight, but consistent efforts at every level—individual, community, and national—can steer society toward values that foster trust, fairness, and mutual respect.
By addressing these areas, we can work toward restoring and strengthening the moral foundation of a nation, ensuring that future generations inherit a society built on integrity, empathy, and justice.
Easy! No?
CoPilot clearly hallucinating there if it thinks all this woke stuff will fly in America.
What is really sad is the way that once civilised European countries are trying to be more like the USA and embracing mad ideas like shareholder value.
Unsure if you’re joking or not but… What exactly was “woke” in the above statement and could you please define Woke for me?
‘Woke’ to me means understanding that other people matter and caring what happens to them
And with that explanation it’s clear I very much misread your initial statement and I apologize. 🙂
Social media and the internet in general give everyone a platform, no matter how extreme. Anonymity means no accountability with those views, in a number of senses, including that it makes it hard to gauge how popular any view is.
(“A small but vocal minority” is a phrase I see coming up regularly. Only no one knows how small.)
This adds up to extreme voices no longer being silenced by gatekeepers, emboldening those holding such views, and coming across as having more support than they do, legitimizing them.
Combined with the US losing its industrial clout as other nations caught up in the last seventy years, and rising inequality since “trickle-down economics,” and you have a populace exposed to extreme voices that also feels frustrated at having less purchasing power.
And so everyone is angry all the time, and moving toward the extremes.
The only thing I can say as far as solutions are concerned is that MAGA isn’t it.
I’d say that Trump-as-president is a symptom, but he sure put a lot of energy into the social media world before he was ever elected, so he’s also a cause.
I’ve been reading Arlie Russell Hochschild’s book “Strangers In Their Own Land,” where she spends a lot of time in a polluted region of Louisiana trying to cross the empathy divide that divides her (a Berkeley academic) from them. It’s quite interesting to see that at the local level, they do have strong community connections and empathy, but they’ve totally demonized the federal government (and bizarrely think it accounts for something like 40% of jobs nationally).
IMHO it goes a long way toward understanding our country if one looks at the economics of “character” viz the USA. Virtue is much easier and thus common when it’s trvially affordable; but then maybe it doesn’t qualify as “character”? And, of course, that’s not all of it. I have read many accounts of the most sincere and true generosity coming fr the most impoverished. Howver, perhaps we can agree there is some noticeable cause/affect when looking at the big picture the mass production figures. Certainly, it’s true of myself – I’m more favorably inclined towards pan handlers when I’m flush.
But there is more to this perspective. The USA has been living on inventory fr day 1. Invasion, occupation, subjugation and ecploitation, extraction has been our MO fr the first boot on the ground. And slavery was an economic tactic in aid of quickly grabbing huge wealth.
But now the inventory of easily exploitable victims and other resources is running low. So the competition becomes ugly, real virtue comes with obvious trade offs. Our simple minded base instincts lead us to start to scramble and scrum and eat each other. To create new slaves. To create “Others” for the raw material fr which to make slaves.
You can see it easily in the American prison industry. In the union busting. In the destruction of quality education unless you’re “quality people”.
A good alt American history primer is the book “White Trash” by Nancy Isenberg, a professor of history in Indiana (last I heard). A somewhat horrifying but hard to deny origen story of the USA. Not perfect but lays out the record for anyone to try to refute.
My serious peeve w/heroic fiction, Marvel comics, Westerns, vampire and werewolf bodice rippers is that although the pulp genre allows concepts to be slipped into the conciousness of consumers, at the same time that makes it hard for naive people to identify the archtypes in their own daily life. The stories are often true in a deep sense but we don’t naturally make a connection. And thus it’s slow and hard for people see the truth in frt of their nose.
“Comics” in the media are another questioable medicine (drug?) in our society. They trivialize monstrous situations, allowing us to feel we are smarter and have a handle on things and can settle bk into our rut. But they also portray and shout out some things so it’s a toss.
IAC, the USA has decended to the arid regions of thin margins and “leaders”, are setting up their human resources, ie. is, to maintain their position. Except maybe in the flim flam world of smoke and mirrors of the Digital Land. They’re still reaping there, surfing on massive PR and official hype.