‘All for an empty tunic,’ all for an American Dream

Joe Biden's acceptance speech reminded the world that there still exists a different kind of politics from Trump's divisive lying rhetoric. In his first address as president-elect, Biden was right in alluding to "a nation that we know we can be - a nation united." The last four years of Donald Trump's presidency - and more so the last spring with the immeasurable harm that the coronavirus inflicted on human lives and livelihoods and the murder of George Floyd - revealed in a blinding bright light the long-standing disunity and divisions of the United States of America.

Dreaming of and planning for where this country must go to heal is the right approach right now. But should this be conflated with "the battle for the soul of America," as Biden said in the same speech? All nations have their big narratives and these can only become more poignant at certain inflection points...