The old adage, “the thing we learn from history, is that we don’t learn,” is certainly playing out in the U.S. today. In many past cultures, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, human nature similarly caused the dominant classes to change such that the culture eventually fell apart. After working hard to improve their lot in life, when they finally got to a comfortable level of affluence, the dominant classes became spoiled and entitled. The “good of the commons” became irrelevant, as it became each man for himself to prosper. And then, when their dominance appeared threatened by the growth of other classes of citizens, they rebelled against their political system.
Likewise, the dominant white culture in this country, many of whom didn’t adapt to globalization, are feeling their dominance is slipping and, thus, are starting to rebel against anyone who differs with them. Social media and politicians, eager to ride this wave, have exacerbated this contagion. This has put this country on a downward slide which we may not recover from. And few citizens here have recognized that this has happened before in history and may threaten our future.
John Kennington, Cottonwood Heights
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