A Muted Celebration
The United States commemorated its semiquincentennial on Saturday, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As usual, the 4th of July was celebrated with fanfare, fireworks and festivities, but this time there was also quite a bit of introspection. A nation that was founded (imperfectly) on principles of democracy, freedom and the rule of law is questioning whether those still hold. It seems more divided along political lines than at any time since the Civil War. People are stuck in social media echo chambers in other countries too, but the rigid two-party political system makes it worse in America.