all 4 comments

[–]trident765 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

This was an excellent speech, but what interest does an Israeli Jew have in lecturing Americans on how to run their country?

His point about newcomers having the potential to be a source of political disunity is a valid one, and I have seen examples of it throughout my life, and it probably applied in Spain before the Reconquista, but I don't think it applies in the case of immigration to the US because American culture has always been poorly defined, and the immigrants also are culturally weak since they are mostly people who sought to abandon their home country for materialistic reasons. I think the source of political disunity in the US is just that lack of firmly held beliefs creates a vacuum for idols to fill the void, and the competing idols create disunity.

[–]fschmidt[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

He is a philosopher so he has a general interest in what political systems work. And I think he grew up in America and moved to Israel, so he understands the situation in America.

[–]wary_observer 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I don't share his optimism.

[–]fschmidt[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This was from 2 years ago when there was still some hope.