Once again, a great post. Once again, however, I am lured away from the headline baiting post (I completely missed the Rockefeller one), and think about the ideas of Franklin and later what is an American identity. The policies and rhetoric to achieve those things are always filled with compromise and opportunity. Let the poli sci Phd.'s play academic buzzword games for those (Tocqueville, Engels, Strauss, Bingo!) impressed by their golden words. It would be interesting to think what Aquinas or Augustine would think about the chase for "trends" and "retweets."
Today's West is influenced by the lack of introspective doctrine on the above question. When the Cold War began, America was religion to the Communist godless, markets to the command economy, etc. This fight for ecumenism to unite against a clear enemy created good bedfellows (Anti-Catholic sentiment disappeared in the US a generation after Blaine amendments spread across the nation) and strange ones (Coca cola's expansion and profits is the American way!). The results of this American "ecumenism" was laid bare in 1978 when Solzhenitsyn approached the dais that fateful Spring day in Cambridge...
Attempts to find unity dilute what previously was an important identity. These two forces continually fight each other in the quest for compromise. Identifying what must not change has to start with the good old Chestertonian fence.
I would add that the great replacement theory is about importing Hispanics folks because they will vote for Democrat candidates. I don't see any xenophobia in it. (I could be wrong.) It is a simplistic prediction of the future that is almost guaranteed to be wrong. Even today, the Hispanic population is shifting away from the Democratic Party.
Once again, a great post. Once again, however, I am lured away from the headline baiting post (I completely missed the Rockefeller one), and think about the ideas of Franklin and later what is an American identity. The policies and rhetoric to achieve those things are always filled with compromise and opportunity. Let the poli sci Phd.'s play academic buzzword games for those (Tocqueville, Engels, Strauss, Bingo!) impressed by their golden words. It would be interesting to think what Aquinas or Augustine would think about the chase for "trends" and "retweets."
Today's West is influenced by the lack of introspective doctrine on the above question. When the Cold War began, America was religion to the Communist godless, markets to the command economy, etc. This fight for ecumenism to unite against a clear enemy created good bedfellows (Anti-Catholic sentiment disappeared in the US a generation after Blaine amendments spread across the nation) and strange ones (Coca cola's expansion and profits is the American way!). The results of this American "ecumenism" was laid bare in 1978 when Solzhenitsyn approached the dais that fateful Spring day in Cambridge...
Attempts to find unity dilute what previously was an important identity. These two forces continually fight each other in the quest for compromise. Identifying what must not change has to start with the good old Chestertonian fence.
I would add that the great replacement theory is about importing Hispanics folks because they will vote for Democrat candidates. I don't see any xenophobia in it. (I could be wrong.) It is a simplistic prediction of the future that is almost guaranteed to be wrong. Even today, the Hispanic population is shifting away from the Democratic Party.
Another great post, Professor Brands. Thank you.