Decline from "summary" of The Unwinding by George Packer
The decline was everywhere, although no one could say exactly when it began. It was a gradual erosion, a slow fading of the American dream. People felt it in their bones, saw it in their neighborhoods, heard it in the stories of their friends and family. The factories closed, the jobs moved overseas, the wages stagnated. The middle class shrank, the gap between rich and poor widened. The institutions that once held society together – the churches, the unions, the schools – seemed to be crumbling. As the decline deepened, people began to lose faith in the future. They no longer believed that their children would have a better life than they did. They no longer trusted their leaders to do what was right for the country. They no longer felt connected to their fellow citizens, their fellow human beings. They were adrift in a society that no longer seemed to care about them, a society that valued money over everything else. The decline was not just economic, although that was a big part of it. It was also social, cultural, political. The old ...
Similar Posts
Need for collective action to address issues
The challenges we face today are too big for any one individual to solve alone. From climate change to income inequality, these...
These differences continue to influence modern politics and society
The cultural and historical differences between the various American nations have had a lasting impact on modern politics and s...
Economic
As America entered the twenty-first century, the economy took on a new shape - one that was unfamiliar and unsettling to many. ...
Survival
Survival in 'The Unwinding' is a brutal and all-consuming force that lurks in the shadows of every American dream. It is the re...
The decline of the traditional family weakens social cohesion
The erosion of the traditional family unit is one of the most critical issues facing Western societies today. As the family wea...
Opportunity
Opportunity is a word that means different things to different people. To some, it is a beacon of hope, a chance to rise above ...