IN HIS 2024 book The Age of Grievance, Frank Bruni argues that America is suffering from a cultural sickness. We are angry, acrimonious, and indignant, he observes, consumed by resentments and committed to retaliation. Plenty of empirical data supports Bruni's assessment. A record high of adults'80 percent'believes that Americans are divided on the most important values. National pride, trust in government, and confidence in institutions are near record lows. The Princeton University historian Sean Wilentz says the United States hasn't been this divided since the Civil War. Nearly half of Americans think another civil war is likely in their lifetime. Affective polarization'our distaste for those who do not share our politics'is at an all-time high, and shapes everything from where we shop to whom we wed. Individually, Americans are suffering from an 'epidemic of loneliness and isolation,' according to a 2023 report by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Depression rates have...
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