If this country doesn't give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and

replace it.

There's a lot of outrage across the country right now.

Often, it's hard to define, but it's rooted in a fundamental belief that the country is

broken, that our institutions are rotten and dysfunctional.

Let's talk about how Joe Biden said his build back better agenda cost zero American tax

dollars.

Let's union representing more than 4,000 Columbus teachers and staff striking for the first

time in roughly 50 years.

A sign experts say a mounting frustration nation rise.

This outrage is one of the very few things that people on the left and right share.

And it's a source of widespread pessimism about our future.

Of course, there will always be many cleavages in the country, but maybe the biggest, most

salient division right now is between those who want to fix the institutions we have and

those who want to burn it all down and start fresh.

I'm Sean Elling and this is The Grey Area.

My guest today is Alana Newhouse.

She's the editor-in-chief of an online magazine called Tablet.

And she's the author of a recent essay for the site called Brokenism.

Brokenism isn't just a title of her piece, it's also a term she's coined.

And while I'm still not entirely sure what I think of her broader thesis, Newhouse did

something valuable in that piece.

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