What America
Via David Broder comes the news that a conservative think tank published a paper in which the authors complain that America’s national identity is in danger. The main reason isn’t immigration as such; no, it’s that - according to the authors - America is not a nation based on ‘genes.’ It’s a nation based on ideas. New generations have to be educated about those ideas; they have to know what they are before they can embrace them. The problem is that today’s leaders and educators are not educating the youngest generations about those ideas. As a result, the ‘idea’ America is founded on disappear.
To a very large degree the authors of the paper are correct that America is different from most other countries in the world; in Europe, we care less about ideas and more about genes, about who your ancestors were, when we determine whether you are Dutch, German, or French. If, say, your grandparents came here 50 years ago, you’re dark-skinned, and if you speak perfectly Dutch and embrace Dutch history and culture, the far majority of the Dutch will still consider you to be a ‘foreigner’ or at least not a ‘real’ Dutch.
In the United States that is and has always been different. It has always been a country of immigrants. Since immigrants don’t share the same cultural background, logically, they had something else to unite around; ideas, or perhaps better said ideals.
This is indeed, from a cultural and historical perspective, the main thing that unites Americans. The ‘American people’ are incredibly diverse. If there’s one thing you learn as an American Studies student it’s, in fact, that there’s no such thing as ‘the American people.’ There are many different Americans, with different backgrounds, different everythings… but the ‘people’ as a whole share one thing; a fundamental way to look at life, and to look at society. Ideals.
As a Dutch person it is difficult for me to say whether or not the authors are correct that those ideals aren’t shared with the new generations. Broder points out that people have voted this year like they’ve never voted before; in huge numbers. Surely that’s a good sign, but that doesn’t automatically mean that they vote because they are aware of the founding principles and ideals of their country. In fact, they could very well be voting for people who represent the opposite of those ideals. Now, I’m not saying that’s what’s happening here, but I’m just trying to point out that Broder’s reasoning isn’t exactly flawless.
I do notice two things:
1. The new generations seem, to a large degree, have abandoned the principles of limited government, at least to a very large degree. They seem to be more in favor of a government who actively helps people, instead of a government who enable people to help themselves.
2. Americans still are very, very patriotic. If they didn’t know most of the ideals, etc. I don’t think they would be. Again, especially not because American patriotism is not based on one’s cultural background, but on the ideals the US was founded on.
Patriotism, pride in one’s country,is certainly one of the main "ideas" behind America. But there are also moral/religious ideas too, mostly with a Judeo-Christian background. I suspect that these ideas are the ones the authors are afraid are disappearing (and I am too).
The United States has become a nanny state. A government whose function is to tell us how to live. The problem is that most Americans do not want government intruding upon their lives but they have not figured out how to just say "NO"
Once again we are going to turn to a politician who will just redistribute the wealth. Tax the rich and give it back to the middle and poor income earners.
Then he will drastically increase spending on welfare, wants to create a public health program. If thats not bad enough he then wants to increase our military by nearly 100k and pour more money into the military.
Will he accomplish all this. Probably not because the reality is that the United States is nearly Bankrupted. 14 trillion in national debt. Almost 10 trillion in public debt. And we are going to elect a president who promises to spend MORE and MORE and MORE and MORE.
This then has become who America is. A nation of wanters. Of needers. Of beggars and of greeders. We have lost value of the dollar and hard work because the government will provide this giant safety net for us. When the pilgrims crossed the atlantic what safety net awaited them on the other side?
When settlers crossed the great plains and the Rocky Mountains what safety net awaited them on the other side?
Precisely. That is what family was for. This nation encourages faith in government at the expense of the familial unit. We are a nation of debtors now and the government and Barak Obama once again wants to step in and make it even better for us. Make us even more dependent upon the state for our everything.
That is who we are. Not by choice but by the greed of legislators that for 100 years have moved us to this point in our existence for one reason. Power. Most of them are dead and gone but their legacy lives on. We are their legacy.
What legacy will Barak Obama leave us? More debt? More Nanny state principals? I’m betting yes.
I think the potential loss of any founding ideal is because everybody has their own idea of what that is, but nobody really knows for sure. It’s a consequence of our constitution being so vague.
People often point to the writings of those involved with its formation, but the fact is that some of those ideas may not have made it into the constitution.
So, I think the further we get from its writing, the less we’ll know about what the founding ideals were, because the people of that generation will have their own idea of what they were, even if it’s not right.
While much truth in all of the comments I still cannot be anything but optimistic about America’s future. Are we changing? Yes, but haven’t we always. Though I have the expected healthy dose of skepticism about my kids generation, I have to, at my core, acknowledge that they have "the right stuff". It’s not "my stuff" but then again I didn’t have my Dad’s stuff. And in spite of all of the present b**ching and moaning about the "Boomers" I think we did ok.
You can certainly find that here. Regionally of course. If say you’re from a small town in New Hampshire, and a family from Mass. moves up - they’ll be flatlanders for a generation.
Our Constitution (capital C) is not vague, it is considered vague by those who wish to alter it’s meaning, who wish it to be something else.
LOL - I actually agree with that. It’s not ‘vague’ as such. It’s about as vague as the clearest guidelines can be. The government CAN do this, the government CANNOT touch these rights. That’s not vague, that’s pretty clear.
If there’s one constitution in the world that’s ‘clear’ it’s the American one. If an authority isn’t given to the fed. gov. in it, it has no business trying to get the authority (it says so quite clearly).