The meritocracy trope that motivated our society for so long has vanished. Hard work no longer elevates us to the American Dream.
Society must encourage love.
There is a deep, deep prejudice against religiosity among liberal/progressives: "Do you go to church? I thought you were a liberal." This gives rise to the neologism religiophobia. We need an empathy tribe to go into red states, who must not be labeled as a "basket of deplorables."
We need a love revolution. Realism is what can be changed in this setting.
Go toward your highest vision of the good.
*****
Seguing to education, Marianne next noted that keeping U.S. history and civics out of the public school curriculum is purposeful. The distinguished and widely read, well-known professor of U.S. history Richard Bernstein stood up to address this.
Each day, President Trump gives us lessons that civics doesn't matter. We're back to the setting of the American founding, a collective dialogue in which the people pressured the founders to frame the Constitution. Mistakes would be most costly to society and the world.
According to John Jay, there are few political evils from which the people cannot save themselves. According to James Madison in the Federalist Papers #51, ambition must counter ambition. The government is a reflection of human nature. Leaders aren't angels; nor are citizens.
The founders would be horrified by Sen. Mitch McConnell's decision to postpone the nomination of a new SCOTUS justice until Republicans added the executive branch to its power grid.
We can educate others on civics. One valuable source [I cannot locate it at the moment--sorry] contains documents on American Constitutional theory. Another source is all of the writings of the founders. Madison advocated public libraries: "a popular government without access to knowledge is a farce. We must arm ourselves with the power that knowledge gives" [paraphrase].
*****
I got back to the conference Friday evening to hear Congresswoman Zephyr Teachout urge us all to get involved, to take over our local Democratic parties:
"We have a tool people around the world would die for. We have not seen the end of history. . . . History Begins Tonight!"
Derreck turned us next to the "deep and substantive dive into issues we'll be with for the long haul," and with that turned to the environment, introducing the charismatic, award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox, producer of Gasland, the anti-fracking masterpiece released in 2010 and viewed all around the world.
"Are you ready for the revolution?" he asked the audience, clad in a baseball cap and dark-rimmed glasses. We roared our affirmations.
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