I think we have a divisive political structure that encourages bad-faith arguments, and makes people view their fellow Americans as the enemy. That’s what creates a feeling of justice when you do something in the best interest of your “team.”
….
The idea of a culture war has to die. There’s cultural forces that oppose each other, I won’t deny that. But when this dynamic is described as a war, it invites a battlefield mentality, that a separate set of morals apply when you’re facing your enemy.
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I’m talking to the individual who, by the end of the book, feels pretty certain they were right to be critical of evangelicals. And what I wanted was some kind of reminder that it is going to take unity to fix this.
….
Green: Something I noticed throughout our conversation is that you’ve struggled a lot with pronouns: “we” and “they”.
Howe: Oh, ugh. I switch back and forth because I feel like I’m a separated wife, but I’m not divorced yet.
Green: Are you an evangelical?
Howe: I am.
Green: So why “they”?
Howe: Because when I’m saying “they”, I’m talking about people who support Trump in the way I’m criticizing.
Green: Are you a conservative?
Howe: I still am, yeah, …
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Green: It sounds a little bit like you’re a man without a “we”.
Howe: Oh, I feel like I am. All I’m hoping for is that there are a lot of people who feel like me, who will start to rise up, so I can eventually call myself a “we” again. I think there are lots of people who think like me. I just don’t think we’re all talking.»
