They Sold You a Lie

And That’s Why So Many Americans Feel Like the Ground Is Moving Beneath Their Feet

They Sold You a Lie

And That’s Why So Many Americans Feel Like the Ground Is Moving Beneath Their Feet

I got a message recently from someone who wrote:

“I think Trump has sold the United States out to our enemies. We are fucked.”

Now before you roll your eyes...

Before you cheer...

Before you fire off an angry comment telling me why I’m right or wrong...

I want you to stop for a second.

Because what struck me wasn’t the politics.

It was the emotion.

The fear.

The exhaustion.

The feeling underneath the words.

And whether you’re on the left…right…or somewhere in the vast middle…millions of Americans are feeling some version of the same thing.

The details change.

The politicians change.

The villains change.

But the feeling remains.

A growing number of people believe their country is slipping away from them.

That’s the real story.

Not Trump.

Not Biden.

Not Democrats.

Not Republicans.

The feeling that the system no longer belongs to ordinary Americans.

And if you don’t understand that...

You don’t understand what’s happening in this country.

Here’s what I find fascinating.

The people who believe Trump is saving America think the country is being sold out.

The people who believe Trump is destroying America think the country is being sold out.

Different villains.

Same fear.

Different explanations.

Same anxiety.

Both groups wake up every morning convinced someone powerful is working against their interests.

And…here’s the uncomfortable truth.

They’re not entirely wrong.

Because over the last few decades…Americans have watched:

Factories disappear.

Wages stagnate.

Housing becomes unaffordable.

Healthcare has become a luxury.

College becomes a debt trap.

Politics has become a circus.

Trust collapses.

And while all this was happening...

The people at the top kept getting richer.

The institutions kept demanding trust.

The experts kept insisting everything was fine.

And ordinary Americans kept feeling something was deeply wrong.

Now let’s talk about the thing nobody wants to hear.

The United States is not one man.

Never has been.

Never will be.

Not Trump.

Not Obama.

Not Reagan.

Not Roosevelt.

Not anybody.

A president can do a lot.

But America is far bigger than any president.

It is millions of people.

Thousands of institutions.

Fifty states.

Countless businesses.

Courts.

Governors.

Local governments.

Activists.

Churches.

Communities.

Families.

And perhaps most importantly...

The stubborn refusal of Americans to quietly accept whatever they’re told.

That stubbornness has driven this country crazy for 250 years.

It’s also saved it more than once.

Think about it.

This country survived a Civil War.

A Great Depression.

World Wars.

Political assassinations.

Watergate.

Vietnam.

Economic collapse.

Terrorist attacks.

Massive social upheaval.

And every single time...

People declared the experiment was over.

Finished.

Done.

Hopeless.

And every single time they were wrong.

Not because everything turned out perfectly.

It didn’t.

Not because good people always won.

They didn’t.

But because America has always contained more resistance than the pessimists imagined.

More resilience than the cynics expected.

More strength than the headlines suggested.

Now don’t misunderstand me.

This isn’t a fairy tale.

Democracies can decline.

History proves it.

Corruption can spread.

Institutions can fail.

Leaders can abuse power.

Citizens can become complacent.

Every generation faces that risk.

Including ours.

Maybe especially ours.

But there’s a huge difference between recognizing danger…and surrendering to despair.

One creates action.

The other creates paralysis.

And paralysis…is exactly what every power-hungry person wants.

Whether they’re on your side or not.

Because frightened people stop thinking.

Hopeless people stop acting.

And…defeated people become easy to control.

Which brings me to the biggest lie being sold today.

It’s not that everything is fine.

Clearly it isn’t.

It’s not that your fears are irrational.

Many aren’t.

The biggest lie is this:

“Nothing can be done.”

That’s the poison.

That’s the virus.

That’s the message that spreads faster than any conspiracy theory.

Because once people believe they’re powerless...

The game is over.

Not for the politicians.

For them.

The truth is that citizens still matter.

Votes still matter.

Pressure still matters.

Local organizing still matters.

Journalism still matters.

Speaking up still matters.

Showing up still matters.

History is not written by spectators.

It’s written by participants.

And that’s why I reject the idea that we’re doomed.

Not because I’m naive.

Not because I’m optimistic.

Not because I trust politicians.

I reject it because I’ve studied history.

And…history teaches a simple lesson:

The future belongs to the people who keep acting long after everyone else has decided to give up.

The people who refuse to surrender.

The people who refuse to become cynical.

The people who refuse to become numb.

The people who stay engaged.

Those people change the world.

Every single time.

So if you’re scared...

Good.

Pay attention.

If you’re angry...

Good.

Channel it.

If you’re worried...

Good.

Stay alert.

But don’t ever convince yourself that the story is already written.

Because it isn’t…and that idea is bullshit. Pure bullshit.

The future is still being negotiated.

Every day.

By millions of people.

Including you.

And that’s a lot more powerful than most people realize.

The people telling you we’re finished…want you to stop fighting.

Don’t give them the satisfaction. Do not.

Keep your eyes open.

Keep your mind sharp.

And keep showing up.

The story isn’t over yet.

Not even close.

#HoldFast

Back soon.

-Jack

Jack Hopkins

P.S. One final thought...

Authoritarians don’t win because they convince everyone.

They win when they convince enough people that resistance is pointless.

They win when citizens become exhausted.

They win when decent people decide, “What’s the use?”

That’s why I refuse to accept the idea that America is finished.

Concern is justified.

Anger is justified.

Fear is justified.

Surrender is not.

The people who built this country faced wars…depressions…corruption…demagogues… and crises that seemed impossible to overcome.

Our responsibility isn’t to panic.

It’s to stay informed, stay engaged…support the institutions worth defending…and make sure future generations can say that when democracy was tested…we didn’t look away.

We showed up.