Americans, on the whole, don’t know how to lament together very well.

In fact, odds are good that, as you read that last sentence, you thought, “Lament. That’s a weird word. I wonder what Matt means by ‘lament’.” Well, thank you for asking. I mean the actual basic definition: To mourn aloud. Americans don’t often mourn aloud together, particularly in ways that are helpful to the aloud mourners and their friends.