Lance Phillips • September 30, 2025
I have been trying to come up with something to say about the present moment in time that does not seem completely obvious to most of us. Yes, the levels of bigotry and hatred, divisiveness and blind faith, and cruelty and disregard are toxic, for everyone. Yes, things seem bleak. But, ultimately, to restate all the ways those we have put confidence in have failed us does not help us, or them, to do better. While some would call this particular moment an inflection point, I (and I am not alone in this estimation) would call it the culmination of nearly 450 years of the willingness of “Americans” to be flimflammed.
Let’s start with sensationalism. All sensationalism is a form of sleight of hand. It’s a way of getting over, getting around, misdirecting attention; it’s a way of lying for the purpose of forwarding a different agenda. From the very beginning, “Americans” have been blinded by self-confidence: the promoters of the colonization of what would become the US of A touted it as an earthly paradise, with opportunity for “all;” Anne Hutchinson’s revelatory and direct communications with God won her many followers (a term that would transform into fans in the early 20th century) and enemies; George Whitefield’s drive to change the notion of what religion could look like in the stolen lands; P.T. Barnum’s blurring the lines between fact and fiction for profit; the cult of celebrity that focused on Hollywood in the early part of the 20th century (and persists to this day) — the list is nearly inexhaustible.
When people are willing, even unknowingly, to be distracted by shiny things, it is exceedingly easy to fundamentally change the contexts of those people’s lives without them even knowing it. Suddenly, the new normal is both unrecognizable and entirely predictable.
I want to share a few quotes from Kurt Andersen’s 2017 book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire:
“If you’re fanatical enough about enacting and enforcing your fiction, it becomes indistinguishable from nonfiction.” (p 30)
“If some imaginary proposition is exciting, and nobody can prove it’s untrue, then it’s my right as an American to believe it’s true.” (pp 106-107)
“For the first time, most of the most famous Americans were not politicians or military men or writers or painters but actors–people renowned for pretending to be people they weren’t.” (p 141)
While each of these quotes refers to a different historical period, they each embrace, if not demand, being fooled on some level.
We are, as a country, where we are, both politically and historically, because it is the logical conclusion of nearly everything in our history. We may not deserve it. We may not want it. Many of us will, in fact, suffer as a result of it, but until we are willing to sever the connection between fandom and power, the best we can do is to bolster our families and immediate communities.
- Do not let your shock and disgust in the face of systemic policies blind you to the larger machinations of government.
- Do not let damaging events reduce your resolve to see beyond the obvious.
- Do not be distracted.
Recent Comments