“There is no freedom of mind in America”

_{Me and my new book by book’s illustrator © Wojciech Ignaciuk}

I put the title in quotation marks because it is a quote from the book “Democracy in America,” written by the French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1830s. The publisher of the modern translation introduces that book as “both the best ever written on democracy and the best ever written on America.“

I read that book twice. The first time it was almost half a century ago, in Polish translation, when I was still living in Poland. I found it amusing how de Tocqueville’s observations precisely described the problems Poland experienced in the late 1970s, before Solidarity emerged. What I did not fully realize then was how strongly that book ingrained the idea of what democracy should be like in my subconscious. A few years later, as I usually describe it, I was pushed out of Poland and landed in Chicago. In my first observations of America, I noticed some norms and behaviors I read about in de Tocqueville’s book. But as I stayed longer, I started noticing how America has become more like a socialist Poland that I left.

That observation underpinned most of my political writing over the last several years. On a few occasions, I received praise, but gradually I realized there was an invisible barrier that kept writing like mine from entering the mainstream of public conversation. Some told me that my temperamental writing style offends readers. Others told me that I do not have credentials.

The awakening moment came when, in December of 2008, my friend of the so-called liberal orientation sent me a link to a famous essay by Chris Hedges, “The Best and the Brightest Led America Off a Cliff.” Mr. Hedges has good credentials, but he fell out of favor for standing firmly by his moral principles and political convictions. So today, he is marginalized. His aforementioned essay is still worth reading, but it is hard to find in search results. I bring the case of Mr. Hedges not because I agree with him, but because his fate confirms my observation that people of strong character and firm views are not welcome in public conversations.

So, I have not felt bad for being held on the outskirts of the mainstream media. I have been in the exclusive club of the excluded. Still, my media experience in Poland taught me that every society needs effective ways of communication to function and prosper. I wrote many articles on that subject, but – no surprise here – a very few barely noted them.

So I reached again for “Democracy in America.” Based on reviews, I selected the aforementioned translation as the easiest read for a contemporary American. I was curious whether referring to America as de Tocqueville visited and duly reported on could be a useful way to better understand today’s problems. I found more than I expected. Describing America almost two centuries ago, de Tocqueville observed that there was no freedom of mind there. It resonated with my views of America today. So I wrote a book, “Can America ever be great again?” by trying to see contemporary America through the eyes of Alexis de Tocqueville.

Nothing is new in my book. Everything I wrote about is public knowledge. But the facts and their interpretations I find relevant are not in the realm of public conversation. It is my gift to America for its 250^th anniversary. Still, to get it, one needs to buy it. It will be available for sale within the next few days. Since the book is serious, we added 80 lighthearted pictures.