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1-Page Summary of Them
Overview
America has lost its values of tolerance and respect for others. Students are getting rid of conservative professors, and shock jocks are painting an evil portrait of liberal progressives, which is causing a lot of hostility between the two groups. America needs to return to a mind-set where people agree to disagree with each other rather than being so hostile toward one another.
It’s unfortunate that people tend to form an “us vs. them” mentality, but it happens all the time. When people are divided into two groups, they start to think of each other as enemies rather than friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, this is happening a lot in America today because of bad economic times. People are looking for someone else to blame for their problems when they should be working together instead of against each other.
This book will take you on a journey to explore the consequences of extreme hostility in American public life. We’ll examine how the media, universities and ordinary people stoke up rage and hate on both sides. Furthermore, we’ll look at some of the threats facing our communities in the coming years and what we can do about them.
In this article, you will discover why today’s news isn’t helpful, what might happen if driverless cars become a reality, and how university campuses are becoming intolerant.
Big Idea #1: Loneliness is a killer. It’s particularly dangerous for men, who are more likely to be lonely than women.
Americans are growing further and further apart due to a lack of trust. They’re suspicious that others don’t like them or even want to harm them, which leads to isolation and depression. In classic novels such as King Lear by Shakespeare and Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, the protagonists die alone because they feel rejected by society. The authors were correct: loneliness is deadly.
Unlike in classic literature, when real people die from social rejection, it’s not sudden or dramatic. Their health deteriorates over time because of loneliness, which weakens their brains and bodies. Our reaction to social rejection activates the same part of our brain as actual pain. Therefore, loneliness has the same effects on our health as chronic pain does—lower immune system functioning and greater risk for heart disease.
Given the risks of loneliness, it’s no surprise that lonely people are ill more often and take longer to recover from illnesses. Furthermore, researchers found that emotional distress speeds up aging and leads to dementia.
Research shows that men are at a higher risk of being lonely and rejected than women. One study found that unmarried individuals under 45 years old have a much higher chance of death than married people in the same age group. In addition, elderly men have been found to be more lonely than any other demographic in the United States.
Research shows that men are more likely to suffer from loneliness than women. This is because they tend to make fewer friends as they get older, and their spouse or children are the only ones who keep them in touch with others. If these two things aren’t present—a partner or a child—then many males become lonely later on in life.
Big Idea #2: American livelihoods have become increasingly precarious, which puts our communities at risk.
People work better when they are part of a close-knit community. In the past, people worked side by side with others in their neighborhood. This was especially true for Americans at the start of the 20th century, who often stayed at one company their whole lives.
But the workforce is changing. Where once people could expect to stick with their jobs for life, now they’re always looking for new ones.
