Retired Media businessman Ted Laarkamp sums up how people seem to feel these days.

“It’s just not a civilized country,” the 76-year-old said.

The nation is pushing through a pandemic hangover of pessimism, writes Jack Healy, Audra D. S. Burch and Patricia Mazzei for The New York Times.

Americans seem resolved to another year of polarized politics.

 “It’s just a bunch of people that think they can go it alone — like a bunch of lone rangers. Nobody trusts anybody; everything is a conspiracy,” Laarkamp said.

That was the mood among shoppers outside a downtown Media supermarket recently.

 “It’s unfortunate because we have serious tasks ahead of us, and we need all hands on deck,” said Eve Miari, 44.

She voted for President Biden but doesn’t think he should publicly criticize Americans who resist mask and vaccine mandates.

“We are talking about getting out of a global pandemic and resolving big issues like climate change. You can’t have everybody divided,” she said.

The optimism that Democrats and Biden would tackle big issues has faded into pessimism amid an unending pandemic, rising prices, and national bickering.

This despite record stock market highs, more hiring, higher wages and lower COVID hospitalizations.

Read more at The New York Times about the pandemic funk.