I am afraid of what Thanksgiving tells us about both the dominant culture and much of the alleged counterculture. -- Here’s what I think it tells us: - As a society, the United States is intellectually dishonest, politically irresponsible, and morally bankrupt. - This is a society in which even progressive people routinely allow national and family traditions to trump fundamental human decency. - It’s a society in which, in the privileged sectors, getting along and not causing trouble are often valued above honesty and accountability. - Though it’s painful to consider, it’s possible that such a society is beyond redemption. - Such a consideration becomes frightening when we recognize that all this goes on in the most affluent and militarily powerful country in the history of the world, but a country that is falling apart -- an empire in decline. -- Thanksgiving should teach us all to be afraid. --- However we decide to proceed, we can’t ignore the ugly ideological realities of the holiday. - My fear of those realities is appropriate but facing reality need not leave us paralyzed by fear; instead it can help us understand the contours of the multiple crises -- economic and ecological, political and cultural -- that we face. -- The challenge is to channel our fear into action. I hope that next year I will find a way to take another step toward a more meaningful honoring of our intellectual, political, and moral obligations.