Americans Were Trained to Accept Bullshit

Trump didn't break America; he just moved into the hollowed-out shell of a country that stopped demanding better decades ago.

Tell me if I’m alone, but I’m disenchanted with the world right now.

And it’s not the world’s fault. It’s the United States’ fault.

While I take some comfort that I’m a resident of one of the few countries actively pushing back against right-wing agendas, I realize Spain’s progressiveness could all fade away with one election.

This isn’t to diminish what this government is doing—such as moving to regularize 500,000 unauthorized immigrants, taking on social media and, particularly, Elon Musk. From an American liberal’s perspective, the world hasn’t seen someone like Pedro Sánchez since Bobby Kennedy, who must be rolling in his grave.

That said, it’s easy to blame everything on the moment—particularly on Trump. The United States is where it is—it fell harder than ever for the opportunistic trap of populist rhetoric—because of something you rarely, if ever, see discussed. It’s what has fueled the larger American collapse we’re seeing unfold and is prompting Americans to crave—and sometimes seek—escape to places like Spain. It’s the harbinger we never saw coming for the fear and disenchantment so many people are experiencing today.