The state's social fabric is being torn apart by political divisiveness and economic injustice.
Hundreds of articles have been written as to why 2016 is an especially volatile cocktail: whether it's the perfect storm of two of the most disliked candidates in history; rampant and overt sexism; or the climate of political divisiveness and economic disparity that's been brewing for decades.
And, of course, we know the other side as well: lousy job prospects (though perhaps some recent glimmers); massive debt burdens from their university days; born into an age of political divisiveness, scandal, and economic crisis.
He even added a religious twist: France, he said, should not "renounce 2,000 years of Christian civilisation and heritage".Distaste for all such talk is one reason why Mr Bayrou has managed to carve out a space in the centre, drawing in those who are turned off both by Ms Royal's economic left-wingery and by Mr Sarkozy's divisiveness.
While we have witnessed incredible social progress in the decades since Dr. King's death, in particular through the elevation of an African American to the office of the presidency, we have also seen an unfortunate resurgence of incendiary rhetoric and divisiveness, and far too many families face economic marginalization as the chasm between the haves and have-nots widens.
But his particular upbringing gives him special insights into the transition of American politics in the 1960s and '70s from debates over economic principles to a focus on culture and morality, and into the divisiveness, polarization and incivility that accompanied this transition.
Furthermore, it is important that we better understand the recession's contribution to growing economic disparities, which can prove to be a source of socioeconomic instability and political divisiveness.
Hitting out at the "divisiveness and bitterness" of his rival's campaign, Romney pledged that he could turn around America's economic fortunes so that it would come "roaring back" under his presidency.
They promote solidarity over divisiveness.
Just divisiveness, nothing constructive, in our view".
