Putin holds the ahistorical position that there is no such thing as "Ukraine" - it is just a region of Russia. There is no change in his position and the survival of his regime requires his making that a reality. How can Ukraine possibly negotiate with Putin when he denies her existential reality? Negotiate what?
Dr. Lee's title reminds me of a quote from Lincoln's Lyceum address of 1838: "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
It's strange, but while I was reading this posting by Dr. Lee, I'd asked myself where is our Lincoln now? It would seem to take someone with huge intelligence and compassion to work out a way of addressing these issues for the survival of humanity. Dr. Lee certainly has some of those features.
This is a very insightful comment on the American and global situations in regard to pathology in politics. Many socioeconomic factors impede the education needed to uplift humankind out of the quagmire, but "hope springs eternal"......
There is a kind of contagion now spreading through every facet of our nation. It is a rejection of reality in preference for untruth, for violence over harmony. Things fly apart. Reminds me of Yeat's "Second Coming":
The Second Coming
BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
De-escalation is the key action when emotions are stirred up, individually, and even when “nationalistic passions’ are incited! Have seen and used de-escalation many times in my psychiatric work. It is so welcomed by the upset person, who feels “a threat is removed,” and the stability of rational dialogue has become possible.
Great article and insights as always. Just because people act 'normally' and rationally in most cases, does not rule out blind spots, unconscious miscues and instincts. Just as heart and lungs need ongoing evaluation, psych issues need attention.
This discussion of a terrible dilemma is so very important. The technology of destruction would seem to have outpaced the capacity for mature, life-enhancing problem-solving. There remain horribly ruthless, vicious people in the world, including some world leaders. Moreover, ruthlessness gains a lot of traction early on (see "blitzkrieg"), leading eventually very, very often toward ruin. The immense challenge now is in finding a humane and effective way of handling or at least containing those ruthless people--effectively for survival of humanity. I guess that giving them a face-saving way out is necessary for that survival, while the next challenge is in the follow-up, that is, to have the determination to show--actively--that "face-saving" doesn't mean to accept, let alone approve of ruthless behavior.
Your comments seem fairly similar to what Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior have been saying for some time. We are in such a dangerous position with trying to recover from an unfit leader while having leadership wrought with unwise choices and clinging to political action that is very outdated. And since we DO NOT want another Trump presidency and further and increased control by the republicans, now bereft of morals and true conservatism. Dr Lee I full well support your assertions of societal mental health being a necessity. It is so frustrating to always seem as if all politicians are working towards preventing us from achieving health and true freedom.
Good lord! Maybe you should stick to what you know best. Now you’re an expert in world politics?? You don’t even have access to most of the information a person might need to have to make any kind of educated assessment in the field of knowledge.
I am so sorry I ever promoted your professional opinion on the King of Con being dangerous, as apparently I’ve been complicit in building up YOUR ego commensurate with Trump’s 😳😳😳
Christy, Dr. Lee and her colleagues have spent years now explaining and enlightening Americans as to why Trump is such an existential threat. Dr. Lee’s writings have never been a product of her ego but of knowledge and understanding from years of research and professional experience. While there is nothing wrong, and everything right, with asking critical questions or wanting references your response to this article was more visceral and emotional than thoughtful and inquisitive. The content of Dr. Lee’s articles are usually quite sobering, but we shouldn’t allow our discomfort to cause us to lash out and make wild accusations. We should, instead, educate ourselves more and see if we can corroborate what we’ve read.
She’s a psychiatrist not a foreign policy expert and I followed and promoted her since 2016 but not anymore and I made that calm and unemotional point in my first comment had you bothered to read it. She builds up a platform using her expertise in psychiatry and violence just to abuse it by pretending she is qualified to espouse on foreign policy. How is that different from other propagandists?
I read you loud and clear in your initial post. But let me see if I’m following your logic correctly. Dr. Lee made a post about the impacts of economic and social destruction that certain policies are having both in Trump and now in Biden administrations. You are put off by the post, not because you confirmed any content to be false but because you feel she stepped out of line, despite her overall point being the highlighting of structural violence…that she, as a violence expert is able to do. Therefore, due to this one post you will throw the baby out with the bath water and never read her again…because she is a propagandist with an ego the size of Trump’s. Do I have that right?
Substack has erased my post twice now, when I flipped back to check the language in the OP. I will answer, but will have to do it later.
For someone who has accused me of “your response to this article was more visceral and emotional than thoughtful and inquisitive”, it would seem you have responded in kind.
Visceral and emotional? I thought I was being poignant. I mean look, I like your posts on your Substack. We’re certainly in agreement with our thoughts on Trump and his lackey Republicans. I’m just not seeing your hang up about Dr. Lee. If you’re not crazy about her that’s your right. I just know I’ve learned a hell of a lot from her over the last four years. Sure, she makes comments from time to time that aren’t specifically related to her field of practice. But what expert doesn’t? Do we stop reading any expert’s opinions the moment they veer out of their professional lane?
I've "liked" all of your replies. As a psychologist, I speculate that there is something that perhaps suddenly began to go on with Christy beyond the topic at hand. My impression is from how you've indeed replied in a calm and thoughtful--as well as accurate--way, but the message continues to be met with outright, engrained repetition of rejection. Also, Shirly's disclosed erasure from Substack is not fully evidence of something questionable, but it can add to further doubt about her real agenda. You've made a literally nice try, but it would seem that there is no possibility here of having a rational argument. Ironically, the situation seems to mirror Dr. Lee's point about having to meet the challenge of handling certain types of people humanely and effectively.
My Goodness, you sure stepped on the gas speeding your brain down a one way street, zoomed right past the rest stops of "Maybe learning from experts writing from a focus of real lived professional expertise from a sincere dedication of the Duty to Warn. The domestic and foreign politics are the stage and landscapes with several leaders of several countries share in common 2 abnormal human brain developmental defects of a dark triad, narcissism so extreme it is psychopathic sociopathic narcissism, and at the same time a complete lack of normal human empathy brain development or activity- a lifetime brain that fails to produce brain cells grey matter so obvious in normal human brains. Big loud bullying, charisma, charm, deception are the strongman's self only core goal and all other people exist for him to step on, steal from, hating , and discarding. Instead of a reflective thought, you jumped to a conclusion of an accusatory opinion that Dr Lee's article here was some pro self knowledge competition of foreign policy expertise which is not even remotely anything Dr Lee has written in this article, nor has such audacity ever appeared in Dr Lee's articles, interviews and books. Dr Lee is not trying put herself in the harrowing mix of foreign politics and mayhem of so many dangerous narrow minded strongmen competing for #1 world dominance and most of the money in the world. People who get themselves elected for themselves are the worst WRONG people in power. The American public has a frightening large population of people who are contagious with the human unexamined minds syndrome. Their collective fear of reality including a Supreme Court speeding while blind seem almost like 8-12 yr old offspring of their one and only source of life, they're Orange lifelong daily heavy narcotic drug addict leader I never thought I'd see half the country paranoid from a collective very badass. Why this is so serious is because there is human history that should we choose to not only read about and learn from and and live our lives in the interest to prevent repeating some of the most horrific human conflicts genocides destruction to avoid speeding up the extinction of the human race. The supreme Court knocked out the two foundational pillars that the Environmental protection agency was built upon which is why we have the clean water act and the clean Air act. From a biological Environmental point of view I predict that in 20 years or less Americans across the country will not be able to trust having clean drinking water because, without consulting even one scientific expert about how water functions on the planet Earth which is this planet, the supreme Court justices 2 years ago decided that most of the water across the United States no longer needs to be protected because they're not big enough big meaning like big water like oceans. As long as Cruise lines can move on protected oceans and pollute that why would we worry about the little water which is all our rivers and wetlands that are the sources of and why Americans have clean drinking water. The science isn't some kind of great big secret or like too big of a concept for a five-year-old to understand. Okay I'll spill the secret about water functions on Earth. The way water functions on planet Earth is why Earth is the only planet that supports biological life. I'm done. Hey I really never had the intention of writing a lecture here, and I don't claim to be an expert, especially on politics, however I do believe that political leaders should actually know how their own governments work and how countries around the globe are connected one way or another and the best way you understand the present is by learning what history and teach us. We all know America is divided but I think a larger scale as far as people being divided he's on a global scale it's in power who already have a lot of money who are working real hard to get their hands on most of the money in their own countries and around the world and the poor people the non-billionaires and non-millionaires don't deserve money that's why they're trying to take more money away from us to see one at all well that's not a very good species adaptation plan if you're not planning on going extinct. I wish the Supreme Court would go exSTINK. Liz
Christy, i agree with you that Dr Lee doesn't have fully informed view on foreign policy to make educated assessment.
However, you should know that people who take the informed decisions and make educated assessments have given you Hiroshima, Cold war, Globalization (race to the bottom), 1000s of Nukes on hair trigger, the disasters of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, War on Terror etc etc. You may not know that it was these American experts who actually helped the rise of Putin after fall of USSR & destroying any chance of Russian democracy.
US had the opportunity to make Russia a partner and a Democratic state just like eastern Europe states. But the informed experts had other plans. (Read Vladislav Zubok's thesis about post soviet Russia. )
I'd also thought of when the Vietnam war was going on, that people who had doubts about it would try to comfort themselves with thinking that the government leaders and experts at least knew more--and supposedly--best about it. Not!
Thank you, Dr. Lee, for your brave, beautiful clarity on personal responsibility for the shape of society, not only in the bread and butter issues of daily living, but also so as to avoid "Ivan the Terrible" scenarios in contemporary politics. Unfortunately, even some protest actions are crowded with elements potentially lethal to the freedom of the judiciary and to the functioning of democracy. Now is the time for politicians to make gorgeous clarion calls to avoid the gorges of uncurtailed, entrenched criminality and demagogy in power, in practical, effective ways. Pedagogy effectively outdoes demagogy and helps to protect freedom of choice for children's children.
On US-China trade conflict - This is a complex subject and cannot be seen with simplistic position on tariffs. Biden's policy has some merits.
What we are seeing is some reversal of globalization (offshoring of industry, wage suppression etc) though it is happening in disorderly way. US corporations shipped their factories to China where the wages were low, regulations and environmental norms were weak. US corporations thus enjoyed higher profits while America was de-industrialized and American wages were suppressed.
Now US wants to rebuild some of its lost industrial base and protect its domestic markets from Chinese products. Tariffs are a way to do this. This will make Chinese products expensive and give an opportunity for American companies to start producing in America again. Once American manufacturers get established and competitive, the tariffs can be reduced. However, a lot more needs to be done. Can't elaborate on everything right now.
But bottom line is that if tariffs and US industrial policy is well organized, it will bring employment back to America. This is a good thing. US needs jobs for healthy economy and society. Jobs which were lost throughout past decades.
And, China is also practicing protectionist policy since decades to nurture its own industry. China has also imposed tariffs, blocked US entry into certain markets and poured subsidies into domestic companies.
I have certain doubts and concerns about US industrial policy as well as Chinese industrial policy which could end up becoming a conflict among transnational corporations of both countries (for share of global markets) which will create tensions and lack of cooperation between two countries (Dean Baker has written a lot about it). This should be avoided.
Trump's pugnacious world view is almost purely Egoic. Pure Ego exists in a death-spiral where it wins or no one does. Most people live somewhere on a spectrum where Pure Ego is on one end and No-Ego is on the other. Many believe we need "some Ego" or we'll be overrun. People who say we need a strong Ego to survive are confusing Ego with Self.
A strong Self is capable of reasonably defending itself amidst life's blows and of making rational decisions in difficult situations. Ego is too volatile to be reasonable under stress and it only sees problems in terms of itself.
Our era is politically bankrupt because we are a hyper-Egoic society. Ego is useful in a young child needing to form Self, but Ego needs to be consciously discarded if we are to mature, which means our Egoic society is immature and childish. Psychology has not been astute enough to help us see-through Ego, tame it, and comprehend the desirability and beauty of its eradication.
A problem with this essay is it conflates Biden with Trump. Trump has a serious mental pathology in an Egoic society, while Biden is lost in a death-spiral he's struggling to understand. When Dr. Lee writes that only we can destroy ourselves, she is not referring to our fascistic politics, predatory capitalism, or out-of-control religion, but to the fact individuals in our society use few rational constraints on their own Ego. We're lost without an adequate psychology to help guide us.
When I look at a politician I ask whether they are good-faith actors doing their level-best for the health of all or whether they are opportunists. Dr. Lee's strength is warning the country about Trump's pathology, but in this essay she's missing the forest through the trees. The country has been taking pride in Egoic excess for decades.
A thorough understanding of our death-spiral does not mean solutions will naturally appear. When cornered, Ego releases the dogs of war to protect itself. A thorough understanding of our predicament means we need to resolve to tame ourselves.
Putin holds the ahistorical position that there is no such thing as "Ukraine" - it is just a region of Russia. There is no change in his position and the survival of his regime requires his making that a reality. How can Ukraine possibly negotiate with Putin when he denies her existential reality? Negotiate what?
Dr. Lee's title reminds me of a quote from Lincoln's Lyceum address of 1838: "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
It's strange, but while I was reading this posting by Dr. Lee, I'd asked myself where is our Lincoln now? It would seem to take someone with huge intelligence and compassion to work out a way of addressing these issues for the survival of humanity. Dr. Lee certainly has some of those features.
Exactly. It seems like bizarre arrogance for anyone to think they are capable to successfully negotiate with Putin.
This is a very insightful comment on the American and global situations in regard to pathology in politics. Many socioeconomic factors impede the education needed to uplift humankind out of the quagmire, but "hope springs eternal"......
There is a kind of contagion now spreading through every facet of our nation. It is a rejection of reality in preference for untruth, for violence over harmony. Things fly apart. Reminds me of Yeat's "Second Coming":
The Second Coming
BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Have you read, "An Irish Airman Forsees His Death," also by William Butler Yeats?
De-escalation is the key action when emotions are stirred up, individually, and even when “nationalistic passions’ are incited! Have seen and used de-escalation many times in my psychiatric work. It is so welcomed by the upset person, who feels “a threat is removed,” and the stability of rational dialogue has become possible.
Great article and insights as always. Just because people act 'normally' and rationally in most cases, does not rule out blind spots, unconscious miscues and instincts. Just as heart and lungs need ongoing evaluation, psych issues need attention.
This discussion of a terrible dilemma is so very important. The technology of destruction would seem to have outpaced the capacity for mature, life-enhancing problem-solving. There remain horribly ruthless, vicious people in the world, including some world leaders. Moreover, ruthlessness gains a lot of traction early on (see "blitzkrieg"), leading eventually very, very often toward ruin. The immense challenge now is in finding a humane and effective way of handling or at least containing those ruthless people--effectively for survival of humanity. I guess that giving them a face-saving way out is necessary for that survival, while the next challenge is in the follow-up, that is, to have the determination to show--actively--that "face-saving" doesn't mean to accept, let alone approve of ruthless behavior.
Trump wants to join the 'big boy' dictators with his mob boss resume. This certainly would not end well for the US if he is elected. https://thelegaledition.substack.com/p/mob-bosses-of-yesteryear-and-today
Your comments seem fairly similar to what Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior have been saying for some time. We are in such a dangerous position with trying to recover from an unfit leader while having leadership wrought with unwise choices and clinging to political action that is very outdated. And since we DO NOT want another Trump presidency and further and increased control by the republicans, now bereft of morals and true conservatism. Dr Lee I full well support your assertions of societal mental health being a necessity. It is so frustrating to always seem as if all politicians are working towards preventing us from achieving health and true freedom.
Good lord! Maybe you should stick to what you know best. Now you’re an expert in world politics?? You don’t even have access to most of the information a person might need to have to make any kind of educated assessment in the field of knowledge.
I am so sorry I ever promoted your professional opinion on the King of Con being dangerous, as apparently I’ve been complicit in building up YOUR ego commensurate with Trump’s 😳😳😳
Christy, Dr. Lee and her colleagues have spent years now explaining and enlightening Americans as to why Trump is such an existential threat. Dr. Lee’s writings have never been a product of her ego but of knowledge and understanding from years of research and professional experience. While there is nothing wrong, and everything right, with asking critical questions or wanting references your response to this article was more visceral and emotional than thoughtful and inquisitive. The content of Dr. Lee’s articles are usually quite sobering, but we shouldn’t allow our discomfort to cause us to lash out and make wild accusations. We should, instead, educate ourselves more and see if we can corroborate what we’ve read.
She’s a psychiatrist not a foreign policy expert and I followed and promoted her since 2016 but not anymore and I made that calm and unemotional point in my first comment had you bothered to read it. She builds up a platform using her expertise in psychiatry and violence just to abuse it by pretending she is qualified to espouse on foreign policy. How is that different from other propagandists?
I read you loud and clear in your initial post. But let me see if I’m following your logic correctly. Dr. Lee made a post about the impacts of economic and social destruction that certain policies are having both in Trump and now in Biden administrations. You are put off by the post, not because you confirmed any content to be false but because you feel she stepped out of line, despite her overall point being the highlighting of structural violence…that she, as a violence expert is able to do. Therefore, due to this one post you will throw the baby out with the bath water and never read her again…because she is a propagandist with an ego the size of Trump’s. Do I have that right?
Substack has erased my post twice now, when I flipped back to check the language in the OP. I will answer, but will have to do it later.
For someone who has accused me of “your response to this article was more visceral and emotional than thoughtful and inquisitive”, it would seem you have responded in kind.
Visceral and emotional? I thought I was being poignant. I mean look, I like your posts on your Substack. We’re certainly in agreement with our thoughts on Trump and his lackey Republicans. I’m just not seeing your hang up about Dr. Lee. If you’re not crazy about her that’s your right. I just know I’ve learned a hell of a lot from her over the last four years. Sure, she makes comments from time to time that aren’t specifically related to her field of practice. But what expert doesn’t? Do we stop reading any expert’s opinions the moment they veer out of their professional lane?
I've "liked" all of your replies. As a psychologist, I speculate that there is something that perhaps suddenly began to go on with Christy beyond the topic at hand. My impression is from how you've indeed replied in a calm and thoughtful--as well as accurate--way, but the message continues to be met with outright, engrained repetition of rejection. Also, Shirly's disclosed erasure from Substack is not fully evidence of something questionable, but it can add to further doubt about her real agenda. You've made a literally nice try, but it would seem that there is no possibility here of having a rational argument. Ironically, the situation seems to mirror Dr. Lee's point about having to meet the challenge of handling certain types of people humanely and effectively.
My Goodness, you sure stepped on the gas speeding your brain down a one way street, zoomed right past the rest stops of "Maybe learning from experts writing from a focus of real lived professional expertise from a sincere dedication of the Duty to Warn. The domestic and foreign politics are the stage and landscapes with several leaders of several countries share in common 2 abnormal human brain developmental defects of a dark triad, narcissism so extreme it is psychopathic sociopathic narcissism, and at the same time a complete lack of normal human empathy brain development or activity- a lifetime brain that fails to produce brain cells grey matter so obvious in normal human brains. Big loud bullying, charisma, charm, deception are the strongman's self only core goal and all other people exist for him to step on, steal from, hating , and discarding. Instead of a reflective thought, you jumped to a conclusion of an accusatory opinion that Dr Lee's article here was some pro self knowledge competition of foreign policy expertise which is not even remotely anything Dr Lee has written in this article, nor has such audacity ever appeared in Dr Lee's articles, interviews and books. Dr Lee is not trying put herself in the harrowing mix of foreign politics and mayhem of so many dangerous narrow minded strongmen competing for #1 world dominance and most of the money in the world. People who get themselves elected for themselves are the worst WRONG people in power. The American public has a frightening large population of people who are contagious with the human unexamined minds syndrome. Their collective fear of reality including a Supreme Court speeding while blind seem almost like 8-12 yr old offspring of their one and only source of life, they're Orange lifelong daily heavy narcotic drug addict leader I never thought I'd see half the country paranoid from a collective very badass. Why this is so serious is because there is human history that should we choose to not only read about and learn from and and live our lives in the interest to prevent repeating some of the most horrific human conflicts genocides destruction to avoid speeding up the extinction of the human race. The supreme Court knocked out the two foundational pillars that the Environmental protection agency was built upon which is why we have the clean water act and the clean Air act. From a biological Environmental point of view I predict that in 20 years or less Americans across the country will not be able to trust having clean drinking water because, without consulting even one scientific expert about how water functions on the planet Earth which is this planet, the supreme Court justices 2 years ago decided that most of the water across the United States no longer needs to be protected because they're not big enough big meaning like big water like oceans. As long as Cruise lines can move on protected oceans and pollute that why would we worry about the little water which is all our rivers and wetlands that are the sources of and why Americans have clean drinking water. The science isn't some kind of great big secret or like too big of a concept for a five-year-old to understand. Okay I'll spill the secret about water functions on Earth. The way water functions on planet Earth is why Earth is the only planet that supports biological life. I'm done. Hey I really never had the intention of writing a lecture here, and I don't claim to be an expert, especially on politics, however I do believe that political leaders should actually know how their own governments work and how countries around the globe are connected one way or another and the best way you understand the present is by learning what history and teach us. We all know America is divided but I think a larger scale as far as people being divided he's on a global scale it's in power who already have a lot of money who are working real hard to get their hands on most of the money in their own countries and around the world and the poor people the non-billionaires and non-millionaires don't deserve money that's why they're trying to take more money away from us to see one at all well that's not a very good species adaptation plan if you're not planning on going extinct. I wish the Supreme Court would go exSTINK. Liz
Christy, i agree with you that Dr Lee doesn't have fully informed view on foreign policy to make educated assessment.
However, you should know that people who take the informed decisions and make educated assessments have given you Hiroshima, Cold war, Globalization (race to the bottom), 1000s of Nukes on hair trigger, the disasters of Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, War on Terror etc etc. You may not know that it was these American experts who actually helped the rise of Putin after fall of USSR & destroying any chance of Russian democracy.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/1990s-shock-therapy-set-stage-for-russian-authoritarianism-by-katharina-pistor-2022-02
US had the opportunity to make Russia a partner and a Democratic state just like eastern Europe states. But the informed experts had other plans. (Read Vladislav Zubok's thesis about post soviet Russia. )
I'd also thought of when the Vietnam war was going on, that people who had doubts about it would try to comfort themselves with thinking that the government leaders and experts at least knew more--and supposedly--best about it. Not!
Thank you, Dr. Lee, for your brave, beautiful clarity on personal responsibility for the shape of society, not only in the bread and butter issues of daily living, but also so as to avoid "Ivan the Terrible" scenarios in contemporary politics. Unfortunately, even some protest actions are crowded with elements potentially lethal to the freedom of the judiciary and to the functioning of democracy. Now is the time for politicians to make gorgeous clarion calls to avoid the gorges of uncurtailed, entrenched criminality and demagogy in power, in practical, effective ways. Pedagogy effectively outdoes demagogy and helps to protect freedom of choice for children's children.
On US-China trade conflict - This is a complex subject and cannot be seen with simplistic position on tariffs. Biden's policy has some merits.
What we are seeing is some reversal of globalization (offshoring of industry, wage suppression etc) though it is happening in disorderly way. US corporations shipped their factories to China where the wages were low, regulations and environmental norms were weak. US corporations thus enjoyed higher profits while America was de-industrialized and American wages were suppressed.
Now US wants to rebuild some of its lost industrial base and protect its domestic markets from Chinese products. Tariffs are a way to do this. This will make Chinese products expensive and give an opportunity for American companies to start producing in America again. Once American manufacturers get established and competitive, the tariffs can be reduced. However, a lot more needs to be done. Can't elaborate on everything right now.
But bottom line is that if tariffs and US industrial policy is well organized, it will bring employment back to America. This is a good thing. US needs jobs for healthy economy and society. Jobs which were lost throughout past decades.
And, China is also practicing protectionist policy since decades to nurture its own industry. China has also imposed tariffs, blocked US entry into certain markets and poured subsidies into domestic companies.
I have certain doubts and concerns about US industrial policy as well as Chinese industrial policy which could end up becoming a conflict among transnational corporations of both countries (for share of global markets) which will create tensions and lack of cooperation between two countries (Dean Baker has written a lot about it). This should be avoided.
Trump's pugnacious world view is almost purely Egoic. Pure Ego exists in a death-spiral where it wins or no one does. Most people live somewhere on a spectrum where Pure Ego is on one end and No-Ego is on the other. Many believe we need "some Ego" or we'll be overrun. People who say we need a strong Ego to survive are confusing Ego with Self.
A strong Self is capable of reasonably defending itself amidst life's blows and of making rational decisions in difficult situations. Ego is too volatile to be reasonable under stress and it only sees problems in terms of itself.
Our era is politically bankrupt because we are a hyper-Egoic society. Ego is useful in a young child needing to form Self, but Ego needs to be consciously discarded if we are to mature, which means our Egoic society is immature and childish. Psychology has not been astute enough to help us see-through Ego, tame it, and comprehend the desirability and beauty of its eradication.
A problem with this essay is it conflates Biden with Trump. Trump has a serious mental pathology in an Egoic society, while Biden is lost in a death-spiral he's struggling to understand. When Dr. Lee writes that only we can destroy ourselves, she is not referring to our fascistic politics, predatory capitalism, or out-of-control religion, but to the fact individuals in our society use few rational constraints on their own Ego. We're lost without an adequate psychology to help guide us.
When I look at a politician I ask whether they are good-faith actors doing their level-best for the health of all or whether they are opportunists. Dr. Lee's strength is warning the country about Trump's pathology, but in this essay she's missing the forest through the trees. The country has been taking pride in Egoic excess for decades.
A thorough understanding of our death-spiral does not mean solutions will naturally appear. When cornered, Ego releases the dogs of war to protect itself. A thorough understanding of our predicament means we need to resolve to tame ourselves.