I read an earlier book by Ben Sasse entitled, The Vanishing American Adult. I appreciated his insight, candor, and even handedness with that book. I decided to read his most recent work, Them. I’m glad I did!
Sasse is a U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a conservative Christian. He also served as a college president. Currently he is one of the leading Christian Republicans in the senate.
Sasse tackles a subject that is extremely relevant to today’s society. He examines the reasons why American society is deeply divided. There seems to be little middle ground left. People no longer simply disagree with others; they hate those they do not see eye to eye with. Sasse considers how American society has reached such an impasse and whether there is any hope for Americans to come together once again on common ground.
Sasse notes: “As reams of research now shows, we’re richer and better-informed and more connected—and unhappier and more isolated and less fulfilled. There is a terrible mismatch here. We’re in crisis” (4). He argues that “We’re angry, and politics is filling a vacuum it was never intended to fill” (9). He asks: “Do the bigger houses we live in today—more than three times as large as sixty years ago, on average, offer us comfort but also generate isolation?” (11). He suggests: “But lacking meaningful attachments, people are finding a perverse bond in at least sharing a common enemy” (14).
Sasse draws on a wide array of research in building his case that as American society loses many of its bonds that held it together for generations, people are uniting against a common enemy, even when they have very little interaction with that enemy. He notes that one day of feeling lonely has the same negative effect on the body as smoking a pack of cigarettes (22). Perhaps not surprisingly, elderly men are the loneliest demographic in America (23). Interestingly, he also notes that it is becoming increasingly less common for college-educated people to marry non-college educated people (33). He refers to studies that demonstrate a “success sequence” in which the three basic ingredients to success in life are: 1. Finish High School; 2. Get a job; 3. Get married before having children (35). Sasse lists the numerous problems that children raised in single parent homes typically face (40) while at the same time he notes that the top one third of society have a lower divorce and infidelity rates. He points out that the top 30% of society generally follows conservative social norms (41). Interestingly, he suggests that the pathway to success in America is increasingly based more on your class than on your hard work (44).
Sasse goes on to address the issue of the news media in American culture. He claims, “We’ve excised the distinction between ‘news’ and ‘opinion.’” (79). He also makes an interesting observation that parents are extremely concerned about their children being abducted, even though such abductions are at an all-time low. He concludes: “Emotion trumps data” (80). He suggests that people work hard to confirm their biases, not to challenge them (83). He argues: “We are more interested in coherence—or internal consistency in our world view—than to correspondence with the facts we encounter in the world beyond our heads. In simple terms: We’re biased.” (85).
Sasse notes that only 7% of journalists are Republicans (87). He also claims that the top selling vehicles in America are pick-up trucks, yet most reporters don’t know anyone who drives one! (87). He then gives an insightful overview into why the American Right has responded to Trump the way it has. He notes that Democrats absolutely destroyed Robert Bork when he was nominated for the Supreme Court (89). They later viciously attacked Clarence Thomas. After seeing how ugly the Democrats could be to keep conservatives off the Supreme Court, Sasse explains that they finally reacted by electing Trump. Sasse’s point is not to defend the Right, but to explain them. He himself is a Republican with conservative viewpoints, yet he makes the point that the Left is bewildered by the Right’s actions which demonstrates that they fail to see the long list of perceived grievances of the Right.
Sasse has an interesting discussion concerning the media. He cites the horrific story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell who sadistically killed unborn babies and abused women (97). He notes that the media chose not to tell his story because it put the pro-choice position in a bad light. Sasse also highlights how conservative news commentators such as Sean Hannity also use and manipulate news, as well as fake news, to stir up their supporters (105). He claims: “Of course, where there is demand, supply will emerge. And it turns out that ‘contempt’ is big business.” (103). Sasse argues that news stories today are aimed at getting “clicks” on the Internet. He asks, “But what happens when articles are written not to increase understanding but simply to boost clicks?” (113). He cites statistics where the majority of readers of Online news rarely read more than the headlines of news stories. If they like the heading, they click “like” without ever having read the article. Sasse bemoans the fact that “No one wants nuance. We want white hats and black hats” (111). He notes that with the rise of cable TV, Americans are widely diverse in what they watch and where they get their news. For example, in 1951, 2/3s of Americans watched “I Love Lucy.” Today, people don’t have anything that draws them together.
Sasse argues that America is an idea (134). He admits it has not been perfect, but its ideals have been noble and worthy of pursuit. Sasse admits: “though we’ve failed grotesquely at time, the genius of the American experiment is its capacity for self-correction and improvement” (148). He cites the example of George Washington who demonstrated that power is for a purpose, and that purpose is not to elevate those who wield it” (144).
Sasse has hope for the future but he also has many concerns. He notes: “The fact that college campuses, once the cornerstone of free expression and open debate, are now among the most intellectually intolerant spaces in America should concern us deeply” (154).
Sasse introduces all kinds of interesting facts in this book. He notes that Steve Jobs did not allow his young children to have an I pad for fear of its negative influence (167). He notes that the median adult checks their smart phone every 4.3 minutes (175). He claims that the average American has 330 Facebook friends (187). But he also cites evidence of the harmful effect on people from Facebook (186). Finally, when asked whether they would prefer a house with ample square footage, or a smaller house near the urban core of shops and restaurants, 75% of Republicans chose the square footage while 75% of Democrats chose the urban proximity (231). Clearly the Left and Right do not view things the same way or share the same values. And it is only becoming more distinct over time.
I enjoyed this book. His fundamental assertion that America is increasingly devolving into two camps who do not understand each other is patently obvious. His observation of the media that is largely compounding the problem is also poignant. The two major political parties are today, far more concerned with promoting their narrative than in telling the truth. To make matters worse, Americans are not reading like they used to. They are skimming. As they think less and less, they rely more heavily upon pre-digested news stories that are shaping their opinions. This can lead society into an unsettling future.
I appreciate Sasse’s attempts to be even handed and fair in his observations. Clearly, he is a conservative Christian with corresponding values, but he also makes an attempt to be fair. He criticizes Sean Hannity as well as the left-wing news. He also was not an early supporter of Donald Trump, but did come to recognize why the Right elected him.
This is a helpful book in understanding where American society is today. It is written by a US senator, so he is not merely an outsider, guessing what is going on. His language is generally not antagonistic. He also cites a number of notable left leaning people with whom he agrees, at least in part. He seems a bit weaker on his prescription. However, that is not to be unexpected, as the problems America is currently facing are immense and certainly immune to quick fixes. At the current state of American society, I’d encourage people to read this book!
Rating 4
