Examining our ‘engines of discontent’ and where they lead VOICES
I am responding to Mr. John Wilcox’s call for points of view. ( “Opinion: I’m puzzled about what’s going on in this country. Are you?,” Sept. 27) He listed six issues which puzzle him. Each deserves its own response which I won’t attempt.
My point of view has to do with the motivations behind his issues and our terrible American morass. My hope is that if we grasp the motivations we can shape solutions.
Two motivating engines of discontent exist: the “left behinds” and minorities. One engine is fueled by the financial and social gap between those who are mostly well off, college-educated people, the so-called elites, and the core of wage earning people who exist a few paychecks away from being broke. These people work hard, yet don’t seem to get ahead. They see others, often minorities, getting government help and feel as though they are being left behind.
The other motivating engine of discontent is the inequality gap by many measures — income, healthcare, housing, and education — between minority people and the rest of America. The inequality gap has existed for generations and is widening.
Both groups have become intensely — and increasingly — discontented. Their discontent has lead to their disillusionment, even doubting the promise of America. Those who feel left behind have come to favor pessimistic policies of exclusion and isolation. Those associating themselves with minority inequality favor confrontational protests. Frustrated, neither group shows motivation to work toward solutions.
Under ideal leadership we would have a force seeking to resolve the motivational issues and forge workable compromises. Under ideal Democracy we could let both sides bring their petitions and ideas forward and let the people of our country decide through elections.
We have no evidence of that quality of leadership, while we do have evidence that our election mechanism is under threat. Worst of all, we may risk losing the collaborative motivation required to put our country first.
History shows that discontent can lead to disillusionment and disillusionment can lead to despair, and despair can lead to revolution.
Carl D. Peterson Brookfield