Are Progressives in Denial About Progress? Yes, but So Is Almost Everyone Else
I think the conclusions stated in the abstract are empirically visible. If I walk outside and actually interact with people, there seems to be little division and hate. If I spend time consuming media, things look quite different. Humans are tribal so hate of the other tends to sell. Yet, even in the early parts of the 2000s, an Muslim cab driver in New York would willingly sell a ride to a Jewish passenger, and a Jewish landlord would willingly rent a space to a Muslim renter. The same is true across most of the USA. When people shoot off their mouths about something, they’re not necessarily talking about what they’d actually do, but often merely what they feel in that passing moment. Most people do still behave in a sane and moral way day to day, because physical proximity moderates their behavior.<p>Similarly, we see disaster everywhere in media, and there is disaster, but in real life… hunger is almost gone, living standards are high, soul and body crushing work is continually being made easier to handle, and we have more awareness of things like mindfulness, mental health, and loving kindness (all of which were no no words when I was younger).<p>The world is a good place, mostly.