Letter: Hope for Democracy to Prevail Amid 'Chaos and Destruction'

To the Editor:

For an enhanced understanding of the madness currently afflicting American society and politics, I strongly recommend reading Erich Fromm's "The Sane Society." Fromm, one of the preeminent social psychologists of the 20th century, draws on his background as a Jewish refugee fleeing fascist Germany to describe the ease with which vast segments of a population can rapidly become untethered from factual reality, and wholeheartedly enter the delusional world of a psychotic dictator.

Fromm labeled this phenomenon "Folie a Millions." Individuals suffering from "folie" are impervious to facts. They regard any disagreement with their worldview, any criticism of their leader, as a threat of personal annihilation.

Sadly, in 2024 America suffered from all the requisite pre-existing conditions — personal isolation, alienation, gross income inequality, fear of change, prejudice and despair — for succumbing to "folie." It is a virulently contagious form of insanity. Add to all this the distortions and misinformation promulgated by social and right wing media, and we have the perfect environment for the disaster now unfolding in our country.

I hope and believe that the many millions of Americans who understand and value our democracy, who support our judiciary, our rule of law and the system of checks and balances set forth in our Constitution, will prevail through non-violent resistance against the chaos and destruction being unleashed by the current administration.

It is futile to attempt to find common ground with insanity.

Sally Filkins
Pittsfield, Mass. 

Congressman Neal Talks With Reid Middle School Students

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:44PM / Friday, April 10, 2026

Congressman Neal answered questions from students as part of their civics projects. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal answered questions from an eighth-grade class at Reid Middle School on Thursday. 

Students in Susan Mooney's class prepared questions related to their civics projects, ranging from government transparency and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to sports to mental health.  

"Be discerning, be fact-driven, and you know what? As I say to my own children, resist emotional decision making," Neal told the class. 

"You generally will come up with the wrong decision if it's very emotional, and the other part I can give you, an important part of my career: you're always going to give a better answer tomorrow." 

In Massachusetts, eighth-grade students are required to complete a civics project focusing on community issues, research, and action.

Students focusing their project on ICE said they found that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is tasked with protecting citizens. They asked Neal why ICE is controlling DHS when agents "do the opposite." 

"ICE needs to be reformed and restrained, but a lot of it has much to do with the president's position on it," he said, adding that the fundamental job of the federal government is to protect its people. 

"We just need to know who's in the country for a variety of reasons. When the president says he's rooting out the criminals, nobody disagrees with that, but that's not what's happening, is it? It's now people that are just showing up in the courthouse to do what we call 'regularizing their status' that are being apprehended."