Talking About a Crisis

Crisis, chaos, conflict – these words are thrown around liberally in today’s public discourse. But what exactly is a “crisis”? This Read n Chat turns to two outstanding figures in American politics for an answer. Thomas Paine wrote his oft-cited view in 1776, Cory Booker spoke his in a record-breaking Senate filibuster in 2025. We’ll be comparing the texts and discussing our views of “crisis”.