On the Future, Americans Can Agree: It Doesn’t Look Good

The presumptive Democratic nominee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., has spoken emotionally about those killed by the virus and the death of George Floyd, advocated new police reforms and urged Americans to rise to the challenge of the times. But he has struggled to break though the crush of news and connect with young voters, some of whom desire greater change than the promise of a return to normalcy that has fueled his campaign.

Yara Cabrera, a special-education teacher in Phoenix, blames Mr. Trump for the sometimes chaotic protests, arguing that he stokes racial division and lacks the empathy to help heal the wounds of racism. Ms. Cabrera, a self-identified “strong Democrat” and Latina, also expects that he’ll be re-elected.

Even if she’s wrong, and Mr. Biden wins, Ms. Cabrera, 36, has little hope that the country will turn around.

“I think people are too messed up right now,” she said. “I don’t think it matters who’s president.”

The level of worry and disillusionment marks a unique moment in American public life, according to historians. In the 1930s, Americans faced the hardships of the Great Depression. Thirty years later, the United States hurtled through the tumultuous 1960s, grappling with the politics of the Cold War and the Vietnam War, shocking assassinations and the rise of revolutionary social movements like civil rights and feminism.

Now, Americans are living through the social and economic unrest of both decades simultaneously, along with a historic pandemic. And it’s all filtered through the divisive lens of social media.

“You have a combination of the 1930s and the 1960s, this kind of converging of crises,” said Meena Bose, the director of the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency at Hofstra University. “I’m not sure there is an exact parallel, particularly given the rise of social media and how much easier it is to denigrate and attack than it is to have the kinds of thoughtful, hard conversations that are needed.”

Polling shows the cost of constant crisis on the American psyche. For the past two decades, a majority of Americans have consistently described themselves as optimistic about the country’s future. In April, 61 percent of registered voters said they were largely hopeful about the nation, in a survey by NBC News/The Wall Street Journal.