I have not been blogging a lot, other than the occasional updated excerpt from World After Capital and a few posts in my Uncertainty Wednesday series. The reason is that I am struggling with the relevance of much of what I would have said, when contrasted with the current political and social developments in the US and abroad. The positive longterm vision that I am laying out in World After Capital stands in stark contrast with where we are currently headed. As I write in the book, I am optimistic about where we can get to, but pessimistic about how we will get there. My pessimism about our transition out of the Industrial Age has only grown in recent weeks, making it difficult to write about anything that’s small, but could nonetheless be useful, such as a tip on how to run board meetings more effectively.
I came to America as an immigrant because I loved the sense of openness and opportunity. In retrospect I realize that many people who grew up here were no longer feeling the same. Their frustrations, which have by now been amply documented, were crucial to the rise of Trump. Trump exploited these frustrations by appealing to the tribalist instinct of hate for the other. Turning frustration into hate is unfortunately much easier than asking people to join into a long and arduous journey into an uncertain future. In this regard, the parallels between today and the early Industrial Age could not be more striking and frightening.
What is therefore urgently needed is a rebuke to the hate that is coming from the top. Hate will consume us all if it is allowed to grow. History tells us all too well that there is no bottom to how low we can sink when driven by hate. The events of last week were a sad but timely reminder of that.
So no matter how down you feel, you must get yourself up and vote in the Midterms. We must firmly rebuke Trump and those who have enabled or tolerated him. Tribalism and hate must be stopped.
