It has been long understood - as early as the 1830s when Tocqueville wrote about it - that as we become more disconnected and our lives get smaller in the democratic age, the temptation to make distinctions between others and ourselves grows. When we are lost in the lonely crowd, we look for ways to distinguish ourselves. Our imagination wanders, and our pride demands more than numbing anonymity.
- Joshua Mitchell in American Awakening: Identity Politics and Other Afflictions of Our Time
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