QOTD -- Losing A Sense Of Who We Are

 

"... When we try to name everything after ourselves, we lose a sense of who we are. What is “America” if it is hollowed out as bluster, over and over again? Who are “Americans” if we serve as the brand name of one man’s flailing imperialism?

If we want some kind of self-definition, if we want to get through this self-made catastrophe, the words “United” and “States” are worth remembering, and stressing. They name our constitutional republic.

To have states is to have a form of politics that goes beyond the grasp of a single man. And to be united is to have a larger sense of the history and the future of the people. We lose that dignified sense of purpose when we allow power to remain in the hands of someone who understands neither unity nor statehood, who seeks only to divide us for personal profit, who cares nothing for the continued existence of our country, who senselessly alienates those who have been our loyal friends." -- Timothy Snyder, concluding an essay in his "Thinking About..." Substack on "Our Trade War Against Ourselves."  Snyder writes about the Malignant Fascist's insane trade war with Canada and the various inane byproducts ("Lake America"), and how it not only demonstrates that the MF has no understanding of how markets work, but that "... it is entirely possible to be both morally wrong and geopolitically weak. And his weakness becomes our weakness, his nihilism our national embarrassment, or really tragedy."  Good read.