{"ops":[{"insert":"In Robert Reich’s Town Hall You-Tube talk he provided a clear overview of the dramatic change in circumstances from the 1960’s to 2016 that predisposed to the broad acceptance of Trump. Having lived through the Great Depression and WW2 the adult generation of the 60’s had a sense of interdependence and shared ideals for “The Common Good” that were reflected in JFK’s famous calling: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Belief that the government does the right thing most, or all of the time, declined from 71% in 1963 to 16% in 2016 associated with numerous government cover-ups and actions such as Watergate, Vietnam war, and the Iran-Contra affair, etc. A result was a prevailing belief that the rich were doing well while the common person was being left behind (e.g. stagnant wages for decades), creating an environment ripe for a “demigod” to step in and for blame to be directed to others (e.g. existing government, immigrants, big tech, etc.).\n\nHe also provided an interesting take on capitalism where he stated it was not capitalism itself that is the problem, rather it’s how capitalism is organised. He believes capitalism could be organised to contribute to the common good but it would require fairer access to private property and goods and services through strategies such as Universal Basic Income, funded through increasing tax on the wealthy.\n\nHe finished with a lovely description of what he calls “Eloquent listening” that links to an earlier statement he made that the “best way to learn is to talk to people who disagree with you”, noting that people tend to stay in their own bubble and don’t talk to others (e.g. with different political, religious, etc. beliefs) and, as such, limit their opportunity to learn. He explained that Eloquent listening was the process of listening to something you may not like, then repeating what you heard to make sure you got it right, AND being open to change on the basis of what you hear. This is analogous to the Intellectual Trait/Virtue of “Intellectual Courage” as described and promoted in the Paul & Elder framework of critical thinking.\n"}]}