Author Thomas Chatterton Williams on How Covid-19 and George Floyd Protests Reshaped US Social Justice Discourse
The American author tells France 24 that the left grew disillusioned during Obama's second term, before discourse shifted further amid the pandemic and the 2020 protests.
American author Thomas Chatterton Williams has discussed with France 24 his views on how American attitudes toward social justice have evolved since the presidency of Barack Obama.
According to Williams, the political left became disillusioned during Obama's second term, a sentiment that set the stage for further shifts in public discourse. He argues that the Covid-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests of the following years accelerated changes in how social justice issues were discussed, initially reshaping discourse on the left before those effects extended to the right as well.
Williams says the ripple effects of that period continue to resonate in American public debate today. His analysis forms part of the argument in his latest book, "Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse," which examines the trajectory of American discourse on social justice and related issues.
The interview presents Williams's own analysis and interpretation of these developments rather than a consensus account of the period.
Sources
- Thomas Chatterton Williams on how Covid-19, George Floyd protests affected US social justice — France 24 — English
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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