It all took place in the immediate aftermath of Thanksgiving, our national day of gratitude.
First up was Black Friday, an orgy of shopping punctuated by the random mall brawl, as consumers elbow each other aside, or worse, in search of the best discount on the latest must-have gadget.
For a bit of good news, at least in relative terms, reports of retail violence were down this year, as price discounts were not as deep and such post-Thanksgiving sales have become a weeklong event. Furthermore, of course, there is the continued evolution away from in-store shopping in favor of online deals.
Perhaps mall fights will soon give way to drone attacks mounted against rival shoppers.
Eric Sondermann
A day later, on Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, a banner day for gridiron rivalries, on-field fisticuffs broke out in, count ‘em, six premier college football games. In-state contests between North Carolina and North Carolina State, Florida and Florida State, and Arizona and Arizona State ended with post-game donnybrooks, as the triumphant visiting team attempted to plant its flag on the opponent’s home turf.
The melee following the day’s headline match-up, Michigan’s upset of Ohio State, ended only after police forces made ample use of pepper spray.
Combatants in the games between Auburn and Alabama, as well as Houston and BYU, chose to punch out their grievances during playing time instead of waiting for post-game festivities.
College football has now provided a double meaning for the word “scrimmage.”
Fast forward to the next Wednesday when we were greeted with the early-morning news of the assassination of a leading corporate executive on the streets of New York City.
As shocking as was the cold-blooded killing itself, the real revelation came over the ensuing days as the killer, then still unknown and at large, was treated as some sort of conquering hero in far too many corners.
For sure, America’s healthcare system is too costly and underdelivers too often. That system, including the gatekeeper role of massive private insurers, may well be ripe for further reform. It is certainly the subject of legitimate debate. Ditto for the question of outsized corporate profits and executive compensation.
Across the internet, on site after site, news of the murder of Brian Thompson, chief executive of United Healthcare, received tens of thousands of “likes” or “upvotes” or other expressions of approval. Such reactions are nothing short of sick, and, yes, I use that word advisedly in the broader context of health.
It is a far cry from pointing out inequities and advocating political action to cheering on or endorsing or sanctioning personal violence. Anyone who fails to grasp that distinction flunks the fundamental test of civilized citizenship and basic humanity.
Are not many of those who offered a thumbs-up to Thompson’s killing the same folks who reflexively curse American society at news of other instances of gun violence or other such assaults against those belonging to what is deemed to be a disfavored group?
Are we now to embrace vigilante justice in select circumstances? And who are the moral betters anointed to decide on justifications and evaluate the unworthiness of victims?
All of this coincided with Merriam-Webster’s announcement that “polarization” is the 2024 word-of-the-year.
I would suggest that these vaunted keepers of the language are at least a decade late to this realization. “Polarization”, while accurate as an assessment of our current condition, is dated and insufficient as a full depiction of the divide.
On my end, I have dialed back on the use of that particular word and often opt for the more apt, more descriptive “tribal.”
What took place in those college football stadiums was tribal to its core, even if it was all in the spirit of competition among athletically-gifted, amped-up, testosterone-fueled, NIL-rewarded, young men.
Tribalism also applies with respect to the attention-grabbing murder in the center of Manhattan and especially to the reaction of an animated, righteous, not-small group of fellow citizens who saw fit to express their approval, even sometimes with mocking laughter.
These scenes from a limited, few days at the start of what is supposed to be a season of joy, to go along with plenty of other such instances over the accumulated years, are symptomatic of a cultural decay and a society in trouble.
If a cure for this root disease is to be found, the first step lies in the recognition and acceptance of the critical diagnosis.
Eric Sondermann is a Colorado-based independent political commentator. He writes regularly for ColoradoPolitics and the Gazette newspapers. Reach him at EWS@EricSondermann.com; follow him at @EricSondermann
