#469: Farewell, America
A prescient article, eight years old, that could have been written today
Dear Readers,
I’ve been doing this newsletter for almost 10 years. If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I typically don’t comment on presidential elections. Instead, I spend time looking for great articles, and then I let the articles do the talking. That’s the whole point of Article Club. Together we read and discuss the best articles on race, education, and culture, kindly and thoughtfully, in order to expand our empathy.
The problem with publishing every Thursday is that every four years, there’s an issue that goes out two days after the presidential election. That’s not enough time for nuanced, well-written articles to emerge. Right now, it’s all hot takes. You’ve likely been reading these. They’re filled with fury, or fear, or delight, or despair. These pieces have a place, no doubt. But I’ve always shied away from including them here. I prefer to share articles that have had a little time for perspective.
That’s why this week I’m featuring an article that is eight years old. I found it in Issue #67, “White Won,” published in November 2016, way back when this newsletter was called Iserotope Extras. The piece is called “Farewell, America,” by Neal Gabler.
I encourage you to read the article. Here’s what I wrote about it at the time:
In case you want to wallow in despair, check out this article, which argues that the election killed America — our values, what we stand for, our place in the world. Except as I read this piece, I wondered how much of the American myth is just like any other country’s myth — important, of course, but really just a story, one that we can construct anew.
When I re-read the piece a few days ago, I was struck by how prescient it was. What people are saying now, Prof. Gabler was saying in 2016. It’s a little eerie, actually.
For example, here is how Prof. Gabler begins the piece:
Re-reading this passage got me thinking: If you cross out “Nov. 8, 2016” and replace it with “Nov. 5, 2024,” would anyone be able to tell? Prof. Gabler’s words eight years could easily have been written in yesterday’s newspapers.
The same can be said for Prof. Gabler’s prediction for the future:
Even before the Dobbs decision, Prof. Gabler understands that misogyny is on the way. Even before President Trump’s promise of mass deportation, he points out the xenophobia and nativism in our country. Most importantly, Prof. Gabler emphasizes the “white sense of grievance” bellowing from men. Pundits writing about Tuesday’s election comment on this phenomenon as if it’s fairly new. Not a chance, Prof. Gabler would argue. It’s old by now.
Finally, I was surprised by how well Prof. Gabler captured the severity of the time. There is no sugar coating. In stark prose, he makes sure to tell us that “we won’t survive unscathed” because “we know too much about each other to heal.”
Even his point that “democracy only functions when its participants abide by certain conventions” rings true. Prof. Gabler seems to predict the rightward shift in the American electorate years before other political commentators. In this piece, it’s clear that he doesn’t buy into a false progressive hope that people’s consciences would lead them to vote for now-outdated American values.
Re-reading Prof. Gabler’s article certainly didn’t make me feel hopeful. It cemented my sense that we are intractably stuck as a country. But I did find his piece still very relevant today. I hope you read it and tell me what you think.
💬 Your Turn: What do you think?
➡️ Is Prof. Gabler’s piece still relevant today? What’s the same? What’s changed?
If you’re comfortable, please share your experience. In typical Article Club fashon, be sure to be kind and thoughtful!
Thank you for reading this week’s issue. Hope you appreciated it. 😀
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“And he will likely be re-elected by a large margin”… prescient indeed. I am not really in the mood to critique the thesis at this point. If the truth about the values of a large swath of Americans was unveiled in 2016, it was vaulted into the spotlight in 2024. That is enough to focus on for now.
Very dramatic, but we can’t afford to wallow as desk chair critics. For the first time in recent history, we need to learn how to create community where people don’t even know their neighbors and are still isolated in pandemic mode. We need to create book clubs to educate ourselves and each other to activism. & how to do it. We need to recognize that voting has never been enough and that civic responsibility demands grassroots organization. We need to quit polemicizing, roll up our sleeves, and get out there. Although compromise is the essence of democracy, we’re not even at the starting point of having a conversation. In short, grieve a minute and recover quickly, THERE’S WORK TO DO.
A great starting point is Naomi Klein’s NO IS NOT ENOUGH; Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need, which offers solid recommendations for mobilization. It’s currently available free, if you have Kindle Unlimited. LET’S GET STARTED.