Secular Talk (video at the end of the article) highlighted an alarming trend that has been obvious to many Americans living in the United States: residents of the USA have lost faith in most US institutions ranging from media, religion, government & even the banks.
Americans are less confident in major U.S. institutions than they were a year ago, with significant declines for 11 of the 16 institutions tested and no improvements for any. The largest declines in confidence are 11 percentage points for the Supreme Court — as reported in late June before the court issued controversial rulings on gun laws and abortion — and 15 points for the presidency, matching the 15-point drop in President Joe Biden’s job approval rating since the last confidence survey in June 2021.
Gallop News
Does this mean that America is (excuse my Battlestar Galatican) “Fraked‽” After all, to once again borrow a phrase from one of my favorite sci-fi shows, “All of this has happened before, & all of this will happen again.”
Americans have historically been skeptical of powerful institutions—as it’s technically one of the reasons the USA 🇺🇸 became a country in the first place—but Americans (regardless of racial, social, or economic background) have always maintained faith in themselves.
Considering that only the military & small businesses are above the 50% threshold is good news. It means Americans are not giving up on their ability to protect themselves & conduct commerce (albeit locally).
But what can American institutions do to restore faith with the American people‽ Is it too early to play George Michael’s song‽
Or is there something the mainstream media, big corporations, religious groups, politicians & the police department can do‽
Truth be told, America is neither doomed towards pending destruction nor is this lack of confidence merely a “phase.” What Americans (yours truly included) need to do is converse with those holding differing opinions without the shout fest that often occurs at protests.
One good example is the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe verse Wade, which guaranteed abortion access to all 50 states of America. The reaction from both pro-life & pro-choice sides could not be more predictable, resulting in shouting matches between the two sides.
Progressives view the striking down of guaranteed abortion access throughout all 50 US States as a violation of women’s rights to bodily autonomy & an attempt at theocrats forcing their religious beliefs upon the rest of the country.
Pro-life conservatives, however, believe abortion is akin to infanticide (aka infant murder) & see a distinction between a woman’s body & the baby in her womb.
Instead of leading protests & counter-protests against each (which ironically will result in more people voting in November), Pro-life & pro-choice Americans need to establish regular, respectable dialogue with each other & see if they can together come up with a sensible law that addresses all of their issues (if that is possible).
Other issues such as marriage, gun access & education can also be reasonably discussed & once there is a consensus. The masses could force less trustworthy politicians to codify their concerns into law. Yes, this is easier said than done, but this is necessary to prevent American institutions from being governed by the extremes.
If a consensus is not possible, then what Americans need to do is call for a Constitutional Convention & add abortion access, the legal definition of marriage, & gun access to the next Presidential ballot box in all 50 states, giving voters direct access to vote on the issues they care about.
Whether victory is declared by a national popular vote or by the popular vote in each state (then using the electoral college system) is something Americans need to decide for themselves. But allowing voters to settle these issues directly could help end these eternal culture wars, resulting in some legal finality among the most controversial issues in America.
It would also help restore some faith in American institutions, as these issues would no longer dominate the political, religious & business board rooms of America.
Via: Secular Talk on Youtube
