The increased polarization in the U.S. has poisoned the operations of government, and political party preferences even divide neighbours, friends, and families. The most extreme and reckless example of this corrosive behaviour is evident in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both science and common sense tell us that wearing a mask in public, especially when it is difficult to keep apart from others, is one of the ways to help prevent the spread of the virus. Somehow, this preventive measure has become distorted into a partisan issue. With President Trump defiantly, recklessly refusing to wear a mask, many Republicans have decided that wearing a mask is something done by cowardly Democrats, not tough, freedom-loving, God-fearing Republicans.
Thus, we had this pathetic example from a recent gathering of Republicans in Conway, South Carolina. About 100 of the party faithful came together, only a handful wearing masks. They shook hands, squeezed together for photos, and speakers shared the same microphone. Fearing the coronavirus, they insisted, was incongruous with their political values. As a prospective candidate for office Dwayne "Duke" Buckner explained the situation: “When the good Lord calls you home, a mask ain’t going to stop it.” [I am reminded of a comment from another “Duke,” John Wayne, who said “Life is tough; it’s tougher if you’re stupid.”]
Strong religious feelings are often another contributor to the lamentable state of the U.S. White evangelicals (many with limited formal education) comprise a substantial segment of the American population and they appear immune to facts and rational thinking. How else does one explain why female evangelicals in overwhelming numbers continue to support Donald Trump, an adulterer and serial sexual predator?
It is Trump, of course, who poses the greatest current threat to the survival of the U.S. I addressed some of his authoritarian actions in a recent blog. He is the worst possible President for these trying times. He has no interest in leading the country, in providing reassurance, in uniting the nation. He cares only about Trump. Anything positive becomes his achievement; anything bad must have been the fault of others. But he would not have been elected (and perhaps re-elected this November?) but for the dangerous fault lines in American society and the strong sense of economic injustice that fuels the angry underclass and sends them searching for scapegoats. Even when Trump is gone, even when the pandemic is over, there will still need to be major changes if we are to escape a lament for the American nation.