A New World Disorder, or the Same Old One?

THE GROUP CHAT IS LOSING IT OVER THIS ESSAY BY THE HISTORIAN MARGARET MACMILLAN, AND I PUT MY DRINK DOWN BECAUSE YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE EVERYTHING IS UNPRECEDENTED BUT THE NEW YORK TIMES JUST PUBLISHED LETTERS WHERE READERS ARE RESPONDING WITH THEIR OWN GEOPOLITICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSES, AND THE WHOLE FIGHT IS OVER WHETHER WE ARE IN A NEW WORLD DISORDER OR LITERALLY JUST THE SAME OLD ONE, WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE NOBODY IN THE PIECE CAN ACTUALLY AGREE AND THEY ARE ALL CITING GLOBAL HISTORY AT EACH OTHER, SO NOW YOU DO NOT EVEN GET TO BE SMUG ABOUT IT BECAUSE EVEN THE READERS AND THE HISTORIAN CANNOT AGREE ON WHAT IS HAPPENING. OK NOW BACK TO YOUR STORY, SORRY.

GENUINELY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY I PUT MY DRINK DOWN BECAUSE THE NEW YORK TIMES JUST PUBLISHED READERS FIGHTING OVER AN ESSAY BY THE HISTORIAN MARGARET MACMILLAN AND YOU ARE NOT EVEN HERE TO HEAR IT, WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE THE WHOLE DEBATE IS WHETHER WE ARE FACING A NEW WORLD DISORDER OR JUST THE SAME OLD ONE, AND THE THING IS INSTEAD OF JUST NODDING ALONG, THE READERS SENT IN ENTIRE GEOPOLITICAL AND HISTORICAL ANALYSES OF THEIR OWN, AND THE ARTICLE DOES NOT EVEN SETTLE IT OR EXPLAIN WHO IS RIGHT, SO NOW WE HAVE EVERYBODY DUELING WITH CENTURIES OF GEOPOLITICS WHILE I AM STANDING HERE ARGUING WITH YOUR GHOST. ANYWAY MY PHONE IS AT FOUR PERCENT, THIS IS MY LEGACY.

Readers of The New York Times responded to an essay by historian Margaret MacMillan with their own historical and geopolitical analyses debating the state of global disorder.

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