STRUGGLING TOWARD DEMOCRACY

I was watching 4 learned opinion makers and interpreters of what we are living through at the moment. This is not the 60’s. Then it was the Vietnam War, civil rights, and urban unrest. Of course there was more, but the struggle was more about concrete subjects. Solutions included how the war should be treated, civil rights should be handled and the revitalization of cities. Further, there was much more, but these fundamentals were at the top of conversations.

In the middle of the second decade of the 21^st century, there is many more topics and interpretations. The demise of civilization is about many issues with differing weights. What the panel was struggling to do was give “it” a name.

Years ago, Emile Durkheim called such times ANOMIE. Beneath the discussions is a struggle between belief systems. Sociologist usually calls this “normlessness.” What are the rules? Other countries in other time periods have gone through similar problems. The solutions can be many or few and deal short/ long periods of times.  During Reagan, and Obama, were times this bad?

Further, Clinton and Gore gradually and subtly reduced the federal work force. Clinton was impeached over an extramarital affair. By today standards, how serious is that?

Of course, you now want my solution(s) You know that I don’t have it. However, I think that we can give “it” a name. I’ll let wiser folks do that.

Joel Charles Snell

Prof. (RET)

Kirkwood College