Focused on Failure

If this recent election indicates anything, people have deep dissatisfaction with how things feel in America, and for a majority, it feels like shit.

In the thoughts and feelings of many, the institutions we have created to ensure the health, wealth, and welfare of society seem to be failing, and public confidence has eroded. Institutions such as government, law enforcement, courts, healthcare, and insurance, all the way up to and including corporate America are now suspect.

American’s have always been suspicious of authority; “Don’t Tread on Me” read a revolutionary era flag, and it’s still America’s underlying ethic. In the center of that flag a coiled snake was pictured, representing the power of oppression; either that or it’s the evil serpent that tempted Eve to bite the apple in the Garden of Eden. In either case, authority is a snake.

Our suspicions have built up over centuries. Political cartoonists of the 19th century such as Thomas Nast pictured politicians as bloated gluttons with bodies made of money. Later, as modern media evolved, books, radio, movies, and television increasingly focused on corrupt politicians, crooked police, and sleazy businessmen out to bilk the public. When Ronald Reagan notably declared in 1981 that “Government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem,” the gauntlet was thrown down. From then on, political points were to be scored by making the government the enemy.

As a political strategy, working up the negativity of the public by calling America a failure, or worse, a vast conspiracy of malevolent actors intent upon solidifying the “deep state” to exert control over “the people” has worked, and still does. Playing on fear and disappointment is an easy political game, especially when there are so many ready targets.

As the volume of change has increased, so has the volume of dissatisfaction. I remember when FedEx overnight delivery began; that was cool. Then when FAX machines arrived and a document could be delivered in minutes, it felt downright liberating! Right on its heels came email, an even faster way to send something, and it too felt exciting. And yet, all that speed is not enough. “Where’s that text you said you sent? It hasn’t arrived yet!” we complain. And complaints about bureaucracy? Enjoy your visit to the DMV.

There’s 350 million of us; that’s a lot of people to satisfy, and despite the advance of technology and Amazon one-day delivery, people still find things to complain about, lots of them. We are increasingly dependent, and easily frustrated if our gratification is delayed. Whatever pretentions we’ve enjoyed about self-reliance and independence are now moot. We don’t grow our own food, dig our own water wells, repair most equipment, forage for medicinal herbs, hunt and butcher animals, or build our own homes. Most of us barely make our own beds. From a basic survival standpoint, we’re useless. Is our dissatisfaction a reflection of our shame for being useless?

The institutions we have created emerged from the best in us. Consider healthcare as one example. Public hospitals are an expression of our desire to be cared for and to care for one another. If you’ve ever been admitted, being a recipient of that care can feel comfortable, at least until you get the bill. To ease that pain, health insurance was created, and yet it has now become a source of great complaint. And so it goes.