Hi Deepak,
You, are, of course correct that there are intense social forces that are driving this issue in complicated ways. For a summary of my views, here is a blog that summarizes the attached chapter which was in the book, Why Irrational Politics Appeals: Understanding the Allure of Trump: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201609/anti-establishment-theory-trump
Much to say on this issue, but I will leave it here for now. My hope is that the transition should still proceed. But, if anyone doubt that this thing could have (and could still) come off the rails, there should no longer be any such doubt. For example, if all the controversy was coming down to say, Georgia, then our country would be in serious trouble at the basic structural level, IMO. I think there are enough institutional safeguards and the outcome is clear enough without any substantive claims to the contrary that I have come across, so that the momentum should allow for the transition to be ok. But it remains tenuous and could still be disrupted. It shows how much the US has changed in the last 20 years, and that change has been jumped into hyperdrive over the last 4.
Best,
Gregg
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Subject: Re: TOK Excellent Essay by Nick Jankel
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Highly appreciated. It does answer my question.
I had always felt that a Presidential Democracy is better and more impactful than a Parliamentary (India, UK, Australia, Canada).
But now I am in two minds.
Secondly, there has to be something very critical that Trump has been doing right and Dcrates have been doing wrong to clinch this e;ection by the skin of their teeth, instead of a wide margin.
TY
DL
On 11/12/2020 10:35 PM, Joseph Michalski wrote:
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Hi Deepak. Fully agreed: "Trump is a symptom, not the cause of what is happening to America."
As to what exactly may be happening, I'll wager that nearly everyone on this list probably has given the matter at least causal consideration -- and likely has thought deeply about and perhaps studied these issues. Maybe some have even written blogs or articles or done podcasts, a la Gregg. A great many commentators and analysts from different fields are & have been writing thoughtful pieces on the degree of polarization in the U.S. The issues are too many to list, but some highlight: 1) regional differences; 2) demographic characteristics & how different group interests may align; 3) social media sources and forces; 4) the issues of the "isms" (e.g., "racism" and "classism"); 5) the "education gap"; 6) social mobility & the impact of globalization; 7) the issues of "confirmation bias," "echo chambers", and tribalism; and 8) personality types and who's more likely to support, for example, authoritarian leaders. That's just off the top of my head!
The undeniable facts are that, at this point, more than 77 million voted for Biden and more than 72 million voted for Trump. For those who are interested in the demography of the election results, here's an interesting article from the Financial Times that breaks down voting % by a number of interesting characteristics. I'd imagine most informed people here could easily predict who was more likely to vote Trump or Biden, based on their demographic characteristics and based on the logic of JUST.
https://www.ft.com/content/69f3206f-37a7-4561-bebf-5929e7df850d<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ft.com_content_69f3206f-2D37a7-2D4561-2Dbebf-2D5929e7df850d&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=PaZqr4a8UoiXkrPx1qAq9gZlmTp30wb0iWsiVwsUsbE&s=C-1pvytr7-FGtyEPFwluZetQ1xZzay63_Gb36XFtcrs&e=>
Best regards, one and all, -Joe
Dr. Joseph H. Michalski
Professor
King's University College at Western University
266 Epworth Avenue, DL-201
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 2M3
Tel: (519) 433-3491
Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Deepak Loomba <[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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Subject: Re: TOK Excellent Essay by Nick Jankel
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Joe,
Thanks. These are indeed trying times.
But what leaves me confused is the fact that America chose him to power in 16 and almost chose him in 20.
So its high time that intellectuals, thought leaders and psychologists think about what's the matter with almost half the population of US rather than analyzing Trump. Trump is a symptom, not the cause of what is happening to America.
I am worried, because I love the country and its free spirit.
TY
DL
On 11/12/2020 8:58 PM, Joseph Michalski wrote:
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Hi Deepak and TOK community members. First, please see Gregg's blog today for a TOK perspective. Second, I lived half my life in the U.S. and the 2nd half in Canada, and thus have both an "emic" and an "etic" perspective on the U.S. I would have said growing up that that would a "coup" would never be on the table in the U.S., having been taught that the U.S. represents the foremost beacon of democracy, etc., etc. But times have changed and, as per Gregg's article, we should be concerned if we're functioning politically at the level of a four-year-old. I'm not thinking a coup will happen, but I'll refrain from prognosticating and instead share a link with an excellent article from the New York Times that puts U.S. events in a bit of historical context. FYI:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/world/europe/trump-autocrats-dictators.html?searchResultPosition=3<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_11_11_world_europe_trump-2Dautocrats-2Ddictators.html-3FsearchResultPosition-3D3&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=seu1pAEKKqHMd1MUYKZ69woggbXJP2eaT77NB5pgH_k&s=B3dNc3jBoYrflpy-Vl54FCZ96DSUePdLPtu4fJP7ZIc&e=>
[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/11/11/world/11playbook1/merlin_179558994_aa445288-be6a-40e0-9ef4-1084e60fbb0f-facebookJumbo.jpg]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_11_11_world_europe_trump-2Dautocrats-2Ddictators.html-3FsearchResultPosition-3D3&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=seu1pAEKKqHMd1MUYKZ69woggbXJP2eaT77NB5pgH_k&s=B3dNc3jBoYrflpy-Vl54FCZ96DSUePdLPtu4fJP7ZIc&e=>
Trump's Post-Election Tactics Put Him in Unsavory Company<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_11_11_world_europe_trump-2Dautocrats-2Ddictators.html-3FsearchResultPosition-3D3&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=seu1pAEKKqHMd1MUYKZ69woggbXJP2eaT77NB5pgH_k&s=B3dNc3jBoYrflpy-Vl54FCZ96DSUePdLPtu4fJP7ZIc&e=>
Denying defeat, claiming fraud and using government machinery to reverse election results are the time-honored tools of dictators.
www.nytimes.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.nytimes.com&d=DwMD-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=320nI9VZWemwt4NEN4VLycWKFB2MPRnpZyeFEcmlioE&s=xmSRBmfwWAvIjlnTbS22liBPDn5cfdysYCTeuKro5rA&e=>
All the best, -Joe
Dr. Joseph H. Michalski
Professor
King's University College at Western University
266 Epworth Avenue, DL-201
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 2M3
Tel: (519) 433-3491
Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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eiš + 1 = 0
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From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Deepak Loomba <[log in to unmask]><mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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Since I am far from action - in India. Can't resist but ask an unpleasant question - Could Trump organize a coup? Especially with the dramatic last moment changes in Pentagon; I am afraid, now all of us everywhere are worried about the US.
TY
DL
On 11/12/2020 8:27 PM, Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx wrote:
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