Black Veil society

In the 'Ministers Black Veil' Hopper is judged greatly for wearing a black veil over his face.  Hopper lived in a highly judgmental society, much like we do today.  In the story it is made clear that people would avoid him like the plague, with his black veil being the main perpetrator.  Humans in general judge every aspect in every person that they encounter, we know it's mean and  sometimes hurtful, but that doesn't stop us from doing it.  At the end of the story, Hopper kind of lashes out at everyone around him shouting 'Why do you tremble at me alone!?'.  His anger and sadness had shored up over the years, he had been shunned and ridiculed because of that veil he wore over his face; he was shunned and ridiculed because society judged him not by his character, yet by his appearance.

21st century Rip Van Winkle

Before Rip was lost in the woods the political climate was pretty secure, there were rumblings of oppression towards the British, but nothing too serious.  Fast forward twenty years and the entire political scene had changed, the British had been removed from power following a revolutionary war.  It was a lot for Rip to take in, everything he had known had changed.  Based purely on the political climate, if Rip were to be alive in our time would he be bewildered by our political landscape today?  Two political ideologies miles apart in their beliefs  in how the United States should be governed, in his day it was the revolutionaries and the British, in ours the republicans and the Democrats.  Here recently the political landscape has gotten very bitter and personal, just as it was leading up to the revolution.  I am not hinting at a revolution, I am just implying how the political atmosphere is relevant to the latter.