George Hahn

If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.

Whenever I return to America, I get Weimar Republic vibes.

The demonization of immigrants and hollowing out of institutions,

the demagogue vilifying Americans as the enemy within with rhetoric-inspiring violence while decent people refuse to condemn it, the weaponization of the legal system, the K-shaped economy where incumbents always win and everyone else, especially young people, falls behind.

The question isn't why trust in America is eroding, but where the absence of trust is leading us.

Answer?

Somewhere dark.

Trust is infrastructure, invisible until it fails, causing a catastrophe.

Sweden and the Netherlands keep reinforcing theirs.

We ignore the cracks, believing our exceptionalism exempts us from history's stumbling stones.

I don't drink wine or buy art, as it feels disingenuous, trying to be something I'm not.

I do, however, have a photograph I spent real money on.

It's a photo of Otto Frank returning to the Amsterdam attic where he and his family hid until they were betrayed, his wife and daughters ultimately murdered.

It hangs outside my bedroom door, so it's the first and last thing I see each day.

It reminds me that I have inconveniences, but no real problems.

I worry that Americans declining empathy for one another will turn inconveniences into real problems.

Welcome to The Week from Prof G Media, where we break down what mattered and what it all means.

I'm George Hahn, and it's Friday, June 19th.

Today, the biggest IPO in history finally landed, minting the world's first trillionaire.

Then, is the Iran war over?