Masha Gessen (born in 1967), who holds dual citizenship in Russia and the United States, published the thought-provoking op-ed "The Seeds of This Political Disaster Were Sown Decades Ago" (dated July 20, 2024) in the New York Times. In the present essay, I formulate a deeper analysis of the situation by drawing on the work of the American Jesuit Walter J. Ong (1912-2003; Ph.D. in English, Harvard University, 1955).