RMA Presents: “The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure”
By Jim Dean
At the July 6 meeting of the Retired Men’s Association, Bob Meaney introduced the speaker, Yascha Mounk, who appeared via Zoom. Dr. Mounk discussed his new book The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. Dr. Mounk explained that modern democracies have increasing numbers of groups identifying on race, political beliefs, and other factors. The resulting chaos is a challenge to the survival of fairness and order in society. Mounk believes that solutions to this challenge are at hand and are playing out, though too slowly. There are policies and behaviors that can move us more quickly toward a more enduring model of democracy that, instead of stumbling on diversity, embraces it. Mounk argues that the transition is the greatest experiment of our time.
Speaking on German television in 2018, the liberal scientist remarked that Germany was “embarking on a historically unique experiment – that of turning a monoethnic and monocultural democracy into a multiethnic one.”
His talk stressed the importance of protecting the members of tight knit religious communities from coercion within their group, and advocated cultivating a progressive civic patriotism in order to undercut ethnic nationalism. He noted that the marginalization of minorities can have the result that people “feel that their membership in the only club that they have ever known will forever remain conditional.”
Dr. Mounk discussed how democracy is a fragile pact. As elections approach politicians seek to assign blame and resort to name-calling. Sometimes they warn: the soul of the nation is at stake. Passions run hot. But after the votes are counted, the fragile pact makes strict demands. The losers must concede. In exchange the winners promise grace and restraint.
Yet Mounk counts himself as “unfashionably optimistic.” Democracies, especially western democracies, are doing a better job these days at integrating immigrants than you might think. A lively Q&A followed the talk.
For those interested in seeing the full presentation, go to the RMA website or click this link to the video: https://vimeo.com/727730364.
The RMA’s upcoming presentation “The Outlook for Greenwich Real Estate: Boom or Bust?” by David Michonski is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, July 20. A national authority on residential real estate, Mr. Michonski will discuss past and current trends in Greenwich. Michonski will review the most recent results for single family homes and condos/coops in Greenwich, then look at longer term trends. He will compare Greenwich to the national real estate market, which may be an eye-opener as Greenwich has seriously underperformed. He will look at some of the factors that underlie recent trends, such as the mortgage market, the doubling of rates, the shortage of inventory and other factors. Finally, he will review factors that may influence the next 3-6 months, including the massive layoffs at mortgage and real estate companies and Federal Reserve strategy, and what happens in 2023 and beyond.
David Michonski has been responsible for some of the largest and most celebrated real estate sales in America for some of America’s most notable families. Over the past 30 years he has lectured, marketed, taught and consulted on real estate sales and marketing around the world. He has served as chairman of international operations for the National Association of Realtors (the largest trade organization in the U.S.), on the Board of Directors of FIABCI, the international real estate federation, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the IHC Global, the successor organization to the International Real Property Foundation which he helped found in 1991. He has been a real estate consultant for the U.S. Department of State. He has also managed the Greenwich office of Coldwell Banker.
Michonski is the founder, chairman and CEO of Quigler, Inc., which offers a free real estate app for consumers. He is the author of three award-winning real estate books, including Get Your Highest Price, a guide for consumers about what they should expect from their agent to get the highest price for their home, which book served as the inspiration for Quigler.
David graduated from Colgate University, and studied at Harvard, Boston College and the Wharton School.
To stream Mr. Michonski’s presentation at 11 AM on Wednesday, July 20, click here (https://bit.ly/30IBj21). This presentation will also be available on local public access TV Channels, Verizon FIOS channel 24 and Optimum (Cablevision) channel 79.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to www.greenwichrma.org, or contact our membership chairman (mailto:members@greenwichrma.org).
