More recent news suggests, however, that this could be an obsolete paradigm. The more significant and upcoming political quagmires facing the United States, I would argue, can be traced back to an entirely different, more troublesome word in Barney Frank’s quote. That word is “together.”
Ah, “togetherness.” It sounds really nice, at least to most people—and voluntary togetherness, which pops up in the form of civic groups, charitable causes, churches, social circles, festivals, and more, is a beautiful thing. But what about an endless, walls-closing-in, mandatory corporate “retreat” or a mind-numbing, teacher-assigned middle school “group project” where you ultimately end up doing all the work? This is forced “togetherness,” which can turn groups of otherwise pleasant people into either sulky teenagers or festering hives of raging bees. One sharp poke with a stick and you better be ready to run. (Forced “togetherness,” it should also be noted, is also a key feature of, well, jail.)
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