zlacker

> For a large part of its history, America was awash in morally formative institutions. Its Founding Fathers had a low view of human nature, and designed the Constitution to mitigate it (even while validating that low view of human nature by producing a document rife with racism and sexism).

And there's the problem right there.

The Constitution is a ground breaking document. Just because it did not hit a grand slam home run in terms of fixing all social ills in one fell swoop doesn't mean it's "rife with racism and sexism". It established the fundamental mechanisms that would enable us to progress as a society despite individual shortcomings and faults. And we have - often at great cost.

It is those same fundamental mechanisms (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, ...) that are under attack by power mad elites. Without these mechanisms in play, of course everything becomes much more contentious.

>>tomoha+(OP)
Completely agree. The way I like to think about it is they designed the document to involve as much grand standing, yelling, horse trading, politicking, conniving, and debate as possible because that is what human beings will do with government. You might as well embrace the fact they do it and give everyone just enough power to make it extremely hard to change.