The March meeting of the OLLI Politics Interest Group will be held on Thursday, March 15, 3-4:30 p.m., at Stauffer’s Café and Pie Shoppe, 5600 S. 48th St. No need to register, just come on over and participate.

On March 4, Jordan Kuck, Professor of History at West Virginia Wesleyan College was the speaker for the Winter Lecture Series and observed that the number of lives lost in wars has been declining since WW II. To be sure, a positive sign. He also identified three periods when loses owing to wars were particularly high, the 13th century, the 17th century, and the period from 1850 to 1950. Several elements common to the three periods, he argued, were: 1. Climate change, 2. Income inequality, 3. Identity concerns, that is, for example, what it means to be an American, German, or Italian and who qualifies, 4. The emergence or re-emergence of extreme/radical ideas, and 5. A revolution in communication technology.

Some, perhaps all, of these elements are present today in the U.S. as well as the world at large. Taking the U.S. alone, it seems that things are spiraling downward. Some writers are quite fearful for the future of American democracy? Should we be worried? If we are spiraling downward — maybe we can be too alarmist regarding such things — what is driving this pattern? Has Kuck identified the relevant factors? What would you add to the list? What answers (political, social, economic, etc.) would you suggest to deal with the situation and what are the strategies (what has to be done) for achieving them?

The following touch on some thoughts and ideas relevant to the discussion. You needn’t read all of them or any of them for that matter. Come and enjoy.

1. Climate Change. One concern here is that climate change is likely to produce widespread famine.

2. Income inequality. 2. What is the cause/s of income inequality and why can’t it be reversed?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opinion/democracy-inequality-thomas-piketty.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

3. Identity. Does being an American mean someone who possesses a particular ethnic, racial and religious background or someone who adheres to a particular set of “American” values? Or maybe it is just someone who wants a better life for themselves and their families and believes America is the place to get it.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/books/review/amy-chua-political-tribes.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tribalism-triumphs-in-america/2017/09/18/7c6a841a-9c95-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html

4. Radical ideas. Can It Happen Here? Authoritarianism in America is a new book of essays probing some big and important question. For example: Is a powerful central government a threat to liberty—or a safeguard against it? What’s the Deep State, and should we worry about it? Can we rely on our courts? Does the American Constitution solve the problem? From the introduction: “This is not a book about Donald Trump, not by any means, but there is no question that many people, including some of the authors here, think that Trump’s words and deeds have put the can-it-happen-here question on the table. Several of the essays engage his election and presidency. Some of the authors fear that an election of a left-wing extremist could create its own form of “it.”

Many think the Trump presidency has changed politics in ways that will not easily be undone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/opinion/the-chaos-after-trump.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/trump-electoral-college-minority.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

5. Social media. Early on, many thought that social media would be a boost to democracy, a way for average men and women to express their point of view unfiltered by third parties. Some believe it hasn’t turnout out that way.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2017/10/09/pierre-omidyar-6-ways-social-media-has-become-a-direct-threat-to-democracy/