An isolated nightmare
An international perspective on what's happening in the United States.
I just got back to the United States after a 15-week trip around Europe, and I've been reflecting on the reality of America today. The second my plane landed, I had to consider whether I might be apprehended by immigration enforcement before I made it out of the airport. I wasn't returning to the same country I've returned to in the past.
The primary feeling that's been staying with me regarding the state of America today—the one that stuck with me throughout my time in Europe—is one of profound disappointment. While I was traveling through Spain, France, Italy and other countries, I was reminded of what a functioning, liberal society looks like, and I knew the whole time I was there that what was waiting for me back home was a nation in severe decline.
It didn't have to be that way, but here we are. I took high-speed rail from one city to the next in Europe. I saw well-attended protests in multiple cities, and the participants were not consumed by tear gas. The people who witnessed these protests often cheered them on. I recognized an underlying sentiment in these places that a working class person deserves dignity and financial security, not destitution.
Europe ain't perfect, but it was a breath of fresh air after what I've been seeing happening in my own country. Another thing you don't have to worry about in the EU, or really in any developed nation outside the U.S., is the threat of a mass shooter. What I've come to realize is that America is a country being run by mass shooters.
What is the psychological profile of the mass shooter? A mass shooter is violent, tech-poisoned, aberrant, lonely, immature—and often racist or sexist. Does that not describe the leadership of the Republican Party and the MAGA movement overall?
We are being held hostage by deranged rejects. A Guardian headline from January read, "I knew one day I’d have to watch powerful men burn the world down – I just didn’t expect them to be such losers." The article focused on the billionaire tech bros who were sucking up to Donald Trump. I think the headline captures this moment more generally. It's the tech bros, the Trump administration and the people who support them.
They are unpleasant, and they don't like anyone who doesn't genuflect before them, and they are taking this country down a pathetic, abhorrent path. Seeing this happen to a country that could truly be thriving, progressing and maturing is beyond depressing.
Rather, we are becoming increasingly isolated. The people I spoke to in Europe who asked me where I was from sometimes perked up—probably imagining America's former reputation and its influence on culture—but they often looked upon me with sympathy. What a terrible thing you're experiencing.
Thor Benson
The world is learning to live without us. It can't ignore the U.S. completely, but it can greatly reduce how much business it does with us, how much it's influenced by our culture, how much it interacts with us at all. Maybe we won't go visit New York or Miami. Maybe we'll go see Vancouver or Antigua. Perhaps it's time to check out Tokyo.
We like to call ourselves the indispensable nation, but we're making ourselves more dispensable than any other time in modern history. I find all of this, as I said, quite disappointing. I grew up believing this was a place that would stay on the path toward justice and improvement. That was idealistic, but I was young. I thought we would continue to lead the way, despite our flaws. I question where we're heading now.
There are still reasons for hope, of course. When I see things like the No Kings protests, the major Democratic wins on November 4, people organizing and defending their neighbors in Chicago—that's the America I hold dear, and I won't give up on it. However, it would be deceptive to pretend we're not in a perilous position, and it is simply the case that things will likely get worse before they get better. It didn't have to be this way, and it's not this way in many other places.
