In lively and biting prose, Packer shows that none of these narratives can sustain a democracy. He explores the four narratives that now dominate American life: Free America, which imagines a nation of separate individuals and serves the interests of corporations and the wealthy Smart America, the world view of Silicon Valley and the professional elite Real America, the white Christian nationalism of the heartland and Just America, which sees citizens as members of identity groups that inflict or suffer oppression. In Last Best Hope, George Packer traces the shocks back to their sources. With pitiless precision, the year exposed the nation’s underlying conditions-discredited elites, weakened institutions, blatant inequalities-and how difficult they are to remedy. A ruthless pandemic, an inept and malign government response, polarizing protests, and an election marred by conspiracy theories left many citizens in despair about their country and its democratic experiment. In the year 2020, Americans suffered one rude blow after another to their health, livelihoods, and collective self-esteem. Acclaimed National Book Award-winning author George Packer diagnoses America’s descent into a failed state, and envisions a path toward overcoming our injustices, paralyses, and divides
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |