American Insomniac is an insomniac citizen’s memoir-essay meditation on democracy, culture, and consciousness in a United States that feels like it’s slipping out of reach. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The politics in the United States are getting more and more out of sync with reality and the goals of democracy. I felt compelled to not remain silent in the face of watching our democracy and rights being dismembered by right-wing forces and the inability of both political parties to put a stop to this destruction.
Various pundits have called for certain actions to try to counter this rise of authoritarianism. My problem with this approach is that: (a) they still believe imperialist capitalism is not part of the problem;(b) that the elites are going to save America, when in fact they are a huge part of the problem across the political spectrum; (c) they will not shed the elitist privileged position they live in, and as such their “solutions” are always to regain some idealistic status quo that never really existed. They often call for a “mass movement” that is made up of “universities, law, business, nonprofits, and the scientific community, and civil servants,” which is bogus at face value. Lawyers and academics are never going to lead a revolution. And neither will they. They conveniently leave working people out of their movement, which is the vast majority of American citizens.
Did writing this book make you more hopeful or more worried about the future of American democracy, and why?
As I said in the book, we have ended up with a divided nation where civil discourse is nearly impossible to attain, where violence is considered a plausible option for personal expression, and where over forty percent of eligible voters do not engage in national elections. These are the problems that are on many people’s minds. Political parties have become increasingly inept and ossified in their effectiveness, presenting candidates so ideologically narrow within each party’s stated positions that the only difference seems to be the amount of money party leadership is willing to throw their way.
As such, I am as worried as ever, but the only solution is for the American people to become engaged citizens and to take back the power of “We the People.”
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The main ones are these: If you are just the average citizen, it seems as if the Democrats want to “give it all away” and that the Republicans want to “take it all away.” The Dems have put a whole new meaning to the quip, “putting the fun back in dysfunctional.” They, apparently, couldn’t sell McDonald’s Happy Meals to hungry kids for a nickel a box if they gave them a coupon worth ten cents. The New GOP’s members, seemingly, hate almost everyone who’s not a white Christian nationalist, almost as much as they hate each other. It appears that their disdain for common decency and the rule of law is only surpassed by their hypocrisy on genuine Christian values.
Trump’s presidency is the logical outcome of decades of neoliberal political and economic policies and governance by both parties. While it appears that there is a difference between the Democratic Party of Clinton, Obama, and Biden compared with the Republicans and Reagan, and the Bushes, it is one of degree, not kind. Trump, on the other hand, is a unique kettle of fish. Like most bullies, it seems Trump’s personal insecurities stain everything in his presidency.
Democracy and freedom cannot be defined by those who actually hate such ideas. The redefining of liberty and democracy to be what we have today in the U.S. is part of the problem. That is one reason it is so important for people to become involved in the struggle today. Then they can shape what democracy is and what freedom entails.
For readers who feel politically exhausted, what forms of action or thinking still feel genuinely possible to you?
Engaging at the local level in some aspect of the various social movements and organizations that are fighting back against this destruction of democracy and the solidification of a government totally beholden to the oligarchy. “The U.S. has tipped the scales and is rapidly marching into fascism.” The militarization of local police forces and the use of ICE, DHS, and other federal law enforcement agencies to round up immigrants and anyone who gets in their way is the most overt sign that this statement is true.
Here are some of the key features of fascism:
Absolute loyalty to the leader is paramount, often seen as a heroic figure.
Mass media is controlled to spread the regime’s narrative and suppress the truth.
Unifying the nation by identifying internal and external enemies (immigrants, minorities, intellectuals, etc.) as threats.
Forcible suppression of political opponents, labor unions, and critical artists/intellectuals.
Close ties between government officials and favored corporations, often leading to corruption.
Emphasis on repressive law and order, using police with vast power to enforce control.
So, does the shoe fit? Are we already there? Under the second rendition of Trump’s presidency, it appears that we have arrived. ICE and its fellow federal agents have become a lawless mob rather than any form of law enforcement. They regularly break the law in carrying out their agenda, creating situations of chaos, violence, and violation of basic rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Congress has abdicated its power to a president who thinks he is not bound by any laws, rather the limits on his power are “My own morality, my own mind.” Where is Congress on all this? Their silence in the face of this reality is shameful. We must pressure our congressional representatives to get a backbone and stop this now. If they won’t, then we must vote them out and replace them with people who will. Engagement of citizens in the recovery of our democracy, in a nonviolent social movement, and organizations is the only alternative.
Trump is just the logical outcome of seventy years of neoliberalism. We have to quit focusing on him and change the system that gave him and his minions power to do what they are doing. It’s up to all of us. There will be no hero on a white horse with a white hat. We need a great refusal of everyone to say, “Enough is enough – no more!” Short of this, we are just going to slide further into the abyss.
American Insomniac: Reflections on the future of a dying democracy is a compilation of academic articles, blog pieces, other writings, and op-eds written during the first years of the twenty-first century about current political, economic, cultural, and social events which are shaping our reality. The author, Jim Smith, has a unique perspective stemming from his childhood experiences of growing up on the carnival, living in a rural area, experiencing poverty and homelessness, and then radicalization through the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The writings are about the great challenges facing the future of democracy, the struggle for equality and equity, and will, hopefully, add to a civil discourse on the solutions to the social, economic, and cultural problems that are interwoven within the times we live in. These issues and concerns have kept thinking people awake at night trying to figure out how we got here, how to reach a consensus for solutions for the common good, and how to protect the gains made in the prior century from the forces at work to deconstruct and destroy them currently. Hence the title, American Insomniac.
The problems and challenges are complex. The forces at work on all sides are equally complex, with intentions that are both noble and immoral. No perspective is purely evil or purely altruistic. But there is still truth, facts, and progress to oppose lies, fiction, and barbarism. This is one person’s attempt to add to this conversation.
American Insomniac is a restless, wide-ranging collection of essays, op-eds, and personal reflections that circles around one big worry. American democracy feels like it is slipping away. Author Jim Smith moves through three big territories. First, he pulls apart the health of democracy and freedom in the United States and ties it to capitalism, inequality, and political polarization. Then he turns to culture, from a gripping story about Argentina’s “Dirty War” to feminism, consciousness, and the way modern life sells us “experiences” as products. Finally, he dives into explicitly philosophical explorations of thinkers like Vine Deloria, Lukács, and Gregory Bateson and uses them to ask what a more humane, sane society might look like. All of it sits inside one frame. An insomniac citizen who lies awake at three in the morning, trying to make sense of a country that feels both familiar and broken.
The opening autobiography of carnival life instantly hooked me. The details about flat stores, grab joints, rock o planes, and a childhood spent as “other” among carnies and then “other” again back in a small town, give his later anger and skepticism real roots. That early outsider lens never really leaves the page, and I found myself trusting him more because of it. When he goes after Congress, the Supreme Court, Trump, Montana’s legislature, or the hollow language of nationalism, it feels less like a partisan rant and more like the long view of someone who has watched the same bad habits play out in different costumes. The tone swings between dry humor, exasperation, and real grief. I caught myself laughing at his jokes about both parties and then, a page later, feeling that heavy, sinking sense that he might be right about how fragile things have become.
Stylistically, the book is a bit of a mixed bag, and I mean that in a good way. Parts of it read like newspaper op eds, quick and punchy, rooted in specific Montana fights and court cases. Other sections feel like seminar papers, thick with references and theory, especially when he gets into consciousness, reification, or Bateson. Those more academic stretches slowed me down, and at times I wished he had trimmed or translated the theory a bit more for general readers. On the other hand, that density also signals how seriously he takes ideas. This is not a collection of hot takes. It is the product of years of teaching, reading, and arguing with the world, and I appreciated that he did not talk down to me. Even when some statistics or political references feel a little dated, the core worries about authoritarian drift, commodified life, and the erosion of public trust still hit hard, maybe even harder now.
The book makes a convincing case that “natural stupidity” and bad faith politics are not going anywhere on their own. I was encouraged, though, because Smith never fully gives up on the idea that ordinary people can organize, think clearly, and push back. I would recommend American Insomniac to readers who already pay attention to politics and culture and want something more honest and personal than a standard textbook. It will work especially well for folks who enjoy critical essays, progressive political writing, and memoir woven together and who do not mind doing a bit of intellectual heavy lifting in return for an honest, insomniac tour of a “dying democracy” that is still fighting to stay alive.
The Redefining of Liberty and Democracy
Feb 22
Posted by Literary-Titan
American Insomniac is an insomniac citizen’s memoir-essay meditation on democracy, culture, and consciousness in a United States that feels like it’s slipping out of reach. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The politics in the United States are getting more and more out of sync with reality and the goals of democracy. I felt compelled to not remain silent in the face of watching our democracy and rights being dismembered by right-wing forces and the inability of both political parties to put a stop to this destruction.
Various pundits have called for certain actions to try to counter this rise of authoritarianism. My problem with this approach is that: (a) they still believe imperialist capitalism is not part of the problem;(b) that the elites are going to save America, when in fact they are a huge part of the problem across the political spectrum; (c) they will not shed the elitist privileged position they live in, and as such their “solutions” are always to regain some idealistic status quo that never really existed. They often call for a “mass movement” that is made up of “universities, law, business, nonprofits, and the scientific community, and civil servants,” which is bogus at face value. Lawyers and academics are never going to lead a revolution. And neither will they. They conveniently leave working people out of their movement, which is the vast majority of American citizens.
Did writing this book make you more hopeful or more worried about the future of American democracy, and why?
As I said in the book, we have ended up with a divided nation where civil discourse is nearly impossible to attain, where violence is considered a plausible option for personal expression, and where over forty percent of eligible voters do not engage in national elections. These are the problems that are on many people’s minds. Political parties have become increasingly inept and ossified in their effectiveness, presenting candidates so ideologically narrow within each party’s stated positions that the only difference seems to be the amount of money party leadership is willing to throw their way.
As such, I am as worried as ever, but the only solution is for the American people to become engaged citizens and to take back the power of “We the People.”
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The main ones are these: If you are just the average citizen, it seems as if the Democrats want to “give it all away” and that the Republicans want to “take it all away.” The Dems have put a whole new meaning to the quip, “putting the fun back in dysfunctional.” They, apparently, couldn’t sell McDonald’s Happy Meals to hungry kids for a nickel a box if they gave them a coupon worth ten cents. The New GOP’s members, seemingly, hate almost everyone who’s not a white Christian nationalist, almost as much as they hate each other. It appears that their disdain for common decency and the rule of law is only surpassed by their hypocrisy on genuine Christian values.
Trump’s presidency is the logical outcome of decades of neoliberal political and economic policies and governance by both parties. While it appears that there is a difference between the Democratic Party of Clinton, Obama, and Biden compared with the Republicans and Reagan, and the Bushes, it is one of degree, not kind. Trump, on the other hand, is a unique kettle of fish. Like most bullies, it seems Trump’s personal insecurities stain everything in his presidency.
Democracy and freedom cannot be defined by those who actually hate such ideas. The redefining of liberty and democracy to be what we have today in the U.S. is part of the problem. That is one reason it is so important for people to become involved in the struggle today. Then they can shape what democracy is and what freedom entails.
For readers who feel politically exhausted, what forms of action or thinking still feel genuinely possible to you?
Engaging at the local level in some aspect of the various social movements and organizations that are fighting back against this destruction of democracy and the solidification of a government totally beholden to the oligarchy. “The U.S. has tipped the scales and is rapidly marching into fascism.” The militarization of local police forces and the use of ICE, DHS, and other federal law enforcement agencies to round up immigrants and anyone who gets in their way is the most overt sign that this statement is true.
Here are some of the key features of fascism:
So, does the shoe fit? Are we already there? Under the second rendition of Trump’s presidency, it appears that we have arrived. ICE and its fellow federal agents have become a lawless mob rather than any form of law enforcement. They regularly break the law in carrying out their agenda, creating situations of chaos, violence, and violation of basic rights that are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Congress has abdicated its power to a president who thinks he is not bound by any laws, rather the limits on his power are “My own morality, my own mind.” Where is Congress on all this? Their silence in the face of this reality is shameful. We must pressure our congressional representatives to get a backbone and stop this now. If they won’t, then we must vote them out and replace them with people who will. Engagement of citizens in the recovery of our democracy, in a nonviolent social movement, and organizations is the only alternative.
Trump is just the logical outcome of seventy years of neoliberalism. We have to quit focusing on him and change the system that gave him and his minions power to do what they are doing. It’s up to all of us. There will be no hero on a white horse with a white hat. We need a great refusal of everyone to say, “Enough is enough – no more!” Short of this, we are just going to slide further into the abyss.
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The writings are about the great challenges facing the future of democracy, the struggle for equality and equity, and will, hopefully, add to a civil discourse on the solutions to the social, economic, and cultural problems that are interwoven within the times we live in. These issues and concerns have kept thinking people awake at night trying to figure out how we got here, how to reach a consensus for solutions for the common good, and how to protect the gains made in the prior century from the forces at work to deconstruct and destroy them currently. Hence the title, American Insomniac.
The problems and challenges are complex. The forces at work on all sides are equally complex, with intentions that are both noble and immoral. No perspective is purely evil or purely altruistic. But there is still truth, facts, and progress to oppose lies, fiction, and barbarism. This is one person’s attempt to add to this conversation.
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