Divided We Fall — Book Review
Our book, We: Declare Our Interdependence, discusses several forces that feed humanity's extreme divisions. The book is a concise overview. Unity Prophet will read and review various books about the forces dividing us. We believe that with the help of many authors and voices, we can reassure humanity of the truth — We are One. We are not divided. We are interdependent. We all exist on one fragile planet. Please use the Medium comment feature to recommend books or submit an article or book review to our Medium Publication: We: Declare Our Interdependence.
Our first book review covers David French’s book, Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore our Nation, published by St. Martin’s Press, 2020.
We appreciate that David French (@DavidAFrench) identifies his point of view as that of a Christian Conservative Attorney (and a Veteran). He laments, "For the first time in my life, I’m a man without a party. I have no tribe.”
We found his opening revelation to be valuable.
A thread woven throughout the book is the dangerous human tendency towards factions. French quotes James Madison, “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an ailment without which it instantly expires.” We agree that our attraction to factions (our tendency to divide into tribes) is “sown into the nature of man.” Human beings are ‘hivish’ (Jonathan Haidt). The need to belong is very human.
We learned a few things from French’s book:
- The law of group polarization — like-minded groups bring shared biases. The result is that any group decision-making process that does not invite dissent and diversity tends to increase polarization. We can see this with the profoundly divisive United States two-party system.
- French contends that the gun control debate is “at its heart about life and death… different ways of life, different ways of perceiving your role in a nation and a community.”
- French describes the current parenting model, “Safetyism,” as prioritizing safety over adventure and exploration. Safetyism fuels the tension behind the college campus free speech clashes. He quotes Frederick Douglas: “Free Speech is the great moral renovator of society and government.” French argues that the tension (in the 1st Amendment) is between freedom and power.
Part two of the book (Chapters 12, 13, and 14) describes future secession scenarios. French’s conservative/Republican/tribal bias distorts this section of the book. The transition from background analysis to future scenario casting was abrupt and confusing. We found ourselves triggered by the choice to describe California’s governor with she/her pronouns (it came across as misogynistic). The sexism was also pronounced in the scenario about Texas. Only a man, with no concern for how his language would impact females, would describe the complete subjugation of women and the loss of women’s right to access essential health care with the phrase, “few citizens noticed a meaningful cultural difference.” Slightly over 50% of Texans are female, and most women need full access to reproductive health care. This statement was highly insensitive and sexist.
Part three is David French’s proposal to avoid the horrible secession scenarios from part two, Pluralism. He accurately claims that the partisan shifts have grown wider, and the stakes feel more threatening. French argues that our competing partisan factions attempt to destroy the liberty essential to our democracy. Yet, the United States is so diverse, and pluralism is inherent to the character of our nation, so we will never share the same interests, passions, and opinions.
French accurately describes the state of our partisan divide. If politicians define their opponents as evil and destructive, eliminating their opposition is promoted as a virtuous cause. These are the seeds of violence and internal wars. (There is no such thing as a civil war. There is nothing civil about wanting to destroy or even kill people who disagree with you.) French proposes tolerance, religious liberty, freedom of speech, due process, and tolerance. We agree with his observation that “acts of intolerance will not be tolerated” is a slippery slope that feeds our divisions.
In Chapter 18, French shifts to positive “moments of grace.” We strongly suggest that those who describe themselves as Christian align their thoughts and actions with the greatest commandment given by Jesus, to love God and to love one another. Jesus did not preach hatred and harsh judgment of our neighbors, the unemployed, widows, orphans, the sick, or the incarcerated. French calls out our political leaders, writing, “The people who drive American politics are committed to escalation, and as they escalate, they drive their committed followers into ever-greater frenzies.”
Chapter 19, To Go Forward, We Must Go Back, once again reveals French’s conservative bias. He recommends Federalism and supports the continuation of the Electoral College, which overrides the popular vote and grants greater power to rural states. We believe the Electoral College contributes to the urban/rural divide. French poses a powerful question. “Why would either side give up the drive for dominance?”
In the conclusion, French makes a “Call for Courage.” He writes, “There are good reasons distrust of institutions is on the rise. It is earned distrust.”
We agree.
He also writes, “The same national elite is doing it’s best to drive the bus of division.” He refers to FOX News as a “big, beautiful, and lucrative gated community.”
French accurately states, “Our nation is built from the ground up to handle political disagreement. It is not built to endure mass-scale dishonesty and vindictiveness.” French suggests, “There is a need for a better American political class.”
We will end this review with two profound quotes from the final chapter.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams
“You mortals, the Lord has told you what is good. This is what the Lord requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God.” Micah 6–8.
