I think I’d say that I’m arguing viewing something as being essentially either political or cultural isn’t quite right. Culture is crucially relevant to politics in such a way that we can’t dismiss cultural fights as politically unimportant or irrelevant. An open society is built around pluralism and the free expression and coexistence of worldviews. And that’s actually pretty hard to achieve and sustain because people have a tendency to want to impose their values, truth claims, and views. I don’t so much think it’s a necessary aspect of politicking as I think it’s an unavoidable area of political conflict. I want the separation of church and state, the preservation of freedoms of expression, and the promotion of mutual toleration. But the pluralism that all of that springs from is pretty hard to foster and maintain. Cultural fights like the ones we’re seeing are inherently political because they’re about what kind of view of the world has a dominant position in our society. In a more general way, they’re about whether pluralism is even good. But the other things I discuss, like consumerism and self-branding are ways that the things that make us cultural creatures—the things we buy, how we interact with various goods and services, the way we perform and project ourselves out into the world—naturally dovetail with politics and political messaging. And the moment we’re in has made a lot of that more available, which I think is tied as you said to a decline in other outlets for community and meaning making like church and civic organizations.

So in terms of your argument, I agree with plenty of it. The last few centuries have absolutely witnessed significant changes in all these areas, as well as professionalization. I also agree that many basic human needs are currently not being adequately met in contemporary America, particularly many of our social and communal needs.

I do think you’re overstating the divisions that exist between areas of human activity though. Culture, as I’m using it here, includes a broad set of beliefs and understandings about the world. And I don’t think we can talk about politics without talking about how politics is shaped and limited by culture and the popular imagination about what is and what isn’t, what’s possible and what’s impossible, etc.

I do think a lot of the culture war fights as they’re being fought are asinine and cynical, but they still turn on fundamental questions about society and self. And that means they’re also political fights.