SOTU (thread 9), Episode 9: If Jane Addams Sat in the State of the Union Gallery

Think Jane Addams sitting beside you during the State of the Union. She’d applaud the ritual, then quietly ask the real question: who’s being left out when we praise strength?

She’d listen for whether speeches measure human flourishing — schools, housing, child care, and public health — not just power and numbers. If the applause fades and people are still struggling, she’d want to know what we’re actually doing about it.

Short and simple: she’d push us to live up to our words by caring for one another, not just celebrating our might.