'In every country, the national folklore is partly fakelore'

'How the Thanksgiving holiday can help heal America's political rifts'

Michael Morris at Time

As "Thanksgiving approaches on this election year, many of us can't help but think of politics," says Michael Morris. But "this doesn't mean that our tribal psychology is a curse that ineluctably dooms our democracy." Thanksgiving "can also work to redress our rifts today — in our polarized nation and even in our families." People "can feel at a visceral level the sense of meaning and purpose," Morris adds. Americans "need traditions and tribalism because we need each other."

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'Report from inside the "deep state": We're not going anywhere'

Marc Fisher at The Washington Post

Career employees "stayed with the government for decades because in good times, they are on the cutting edge of progress," and "in tough times, they are the bulwark, the last line of defense against decay and decline," says Marc Fisher. The "deep state is the permanent government, which can be slow and frustrating but is also a bedrock." Federal prosecutors are "determined not to let one four-year patch of trouble change their career plans."

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'The limits of "Black Girl Magic" — why marketing Kamala as a celebrity failed'

Torraine Walker at Newsweek

The election "showed just how little pop culture messaging resonates with the majority of American voters," says Torraine Walker. Kamala Harris "was the political extension of the idea of Black Girl Magic," but "in focusing so heavily on that selling point, the Democrats created for themselves blind spots that ignored the aggressive pushback against Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) from the far-right." Still, Harris' loss is "by no means a repudiation of the concept of Black Girl Magic."

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'JK Rowling and Nancy Mace are right: Women deserve their own safe spaces'

Ingrid Jacques at USA Today

Women "are sick of being treated like their rights don't matter, and they're standing up for themselves," says Ingrid Jacques. The "'female' category is being destroyed, with businesses that don't want to bother with bathroom squabbles offering shared, gender-neutral restrooms." Wherever "clothes are coming off, whether a bathroom or locker room, is a situation where we as women are at our most vulnerable." It's "not bigotry" to "want to preserve that for women."

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