It’s not often that a bold truth breaks through the polished surface of a Sunday talk show—especially during the holidays. Yet, in just a few words, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick managed to hold a mirror up to an entire decade, pointing out the hard truths many have avoided.
Appearing on Meet the Press alongside New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and political figure Newt Gingrich, Patrick offered a sobering summary of the first decade of the 2000s. He dubbed it the “decade of self-deception”—a time marked by delayed responsibility and short-term fixes: Y2K panic, post-9/11 terrorism threats, wars fought on the cheap, and the Wall Street and housing market collapses.
According to Patrick, the next ten years must be different. He called on society to face its “intractable problems” head-on. It was a moment of truth with deep implications—one unlikely to be replayed in the typical year-end media montages.
Beyond the Soundbite: A Deeper Crisis
Patrick’s comment hints at a deeper, more troubling issue—one that extends far beyond politics: the erosion of trust in leadership.
Across the board, elites have become disconnected from the people they serve. They believe their own narratives. Real connection with the public? Fleeting. Trust and credibility? Discarded. Innovation? Talked about endlessly but rarely implemented.
Even with a supposedly transformational president in office, government still looks and operates the same. The auto and banking industries—among the hardest hit in the recession—cling to old ways, refusing to truly reform. Even the push for sustainability falls flat. Bloomberg himself admitted, “no one knows what [going green] means.” The failure to link green energy with reducing foreign oil dependence reveals just how deeply special interests dominate the system.
Deception at the Top
Why this pattern? Because many elites have stopped working for meaningful change. Instead, they chase self-glorification over service. Consider health care reform—an example not of policy failure, but of credibility failure. When the public no longer trusts your motives, even progress feels like manipulation. Politicians and business leaders on both sides are guilty.
Meanwhile, money fuels the deception. Billions move like Monopoly money, traded for promises to be paid later. Yet it’s public money—taxpayer and shareholder wealth—being handled with shocking disregard. With no accountability, there’s no correction, and the cycle repeats. The recent passing of Senator Ted Kennedy was a rare reminder of what lifelong public service once stood for. Sadly, his legacy feels buried beneath bureaucracy.
Public Outrage and Media Reality
Ironically, the public isn’t fooled. People are angry, anxious, and increasingly disillusioned. Some dismiss this as irrational behavior—but in a heavily curated media world, who can blame them?
Which leads to an interesting idea: maybe the real truth-tellers aren’t politicians or traditional media, but platforms like Twitter, YouTube, or even tabloid outlets like TMZ and National Enquirer. These unconventional sources often cut through spin faster than the evening news ever could.
Facing the Future
If Patrick is right and we’re entering the “honesty decade,” then we’ve got a lot of housecleaning to do from the “deception decade.” Until then, expect more frustration. More ousting of ineffective leaders. More outrage at CEOs in their glass towers. But will real change happen? That depends.
From “Me” to “We”?
In the end, the only real path forward is personal action. Change won’t come from institutions—it will come when individuals stop thinking only about themselves and start acting for the collective good.
Sure, it’s hard to care about the bigger picture when your own world feels upside down. But until we move from “Me” to “We,” progress will be slow.
Will the next decade be the “Me to We” decade? Maybe not—“Mewee” does sound like a forgotten Peanuts character. But hey, it’s a start.
Got a better name for this next chapter? I’m all ears.