Them – Why We Hate Each Other and How to Heal
Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who is often referred to as a moderate Republican, published this book just after the Kavanaugh hearings and used that confrontation between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and across the country to say, “We really don’t like each other, do we?” Sasse explains why American politics has become so tribalistic and vicious and makes recommendations for reconciliation. He is not optimistic that we can be more civil with one another in the short term and attributes growing political antagonism and “partisan tribalism” in part to what he calls “polititainment”-political news that values entertainment over facts.
More importantly though, Sasse is concerned with a general atomization of society. This refers to the tendency for society to be made up of a collection of self-interested and largely self-sufficient individuals, operating as separate atoms. Atomization destroys the social bonds that are essential for a human sense of fulfillment.
This is really not a book about politics. Rather, it is about American culture and parallels well with “Bowling Alone” and “Hillbilly Elegy.” It is an interesting analysis of society today through the lens of the author’s small town reality. Sasse states, “Our communities are collapsing and people are feeling more isolated, adrift and purposeless than ever before.” Whether it is the problem of dissolving marriages, depersonalization through social media or frequent job turnover-our sense of community as we once knew it is being destroyed.
Sasse advocates closer personal and community connection for relief from division and solution for moving ahead. The fact that Sasse is not trusted by liberals nor conservatives makes this book more compelling and one can’t help but be drawn in by his social and personal perspectives. I want more from Sasse.