Cross-generational mistrust, mistrust between the sexes, hate between political parties, disdain for the other team, anger at people of different nationalities, and biases against skin color are some of the divisions between Americans that are exploited at every opportunity. So, what unites us?
We have been torn asunder from within with the flimsiest of ideas that a shared land called the United States is enough to assure a citizenry that we have something in common. While we may use the same currency and pay taxes to a federal centrally located government, we are hardly Americans as much as we are millions of tiny factions. This wasn’t a ploy from individuals to break out of a dominant oppressive regime, but a fracturing by the powerful, media, and ourselves as we whipped things into a frenzy of polarization.
We no longer have a shared dream, vision, or hope for a better future. Nothing in the world of ideas unifies us anymore. We have lost our rudder. Some will say things like national emergencies can unite a people, yet the events of 9/11 only lasted a brief moment. Here, we are in a racial, climate, educational, and cultural emergency, and we are paralyzed.
At the base of this paralysis is a deep division that is amplified to further separate “us” and “them,” except there are millions of these tiny camps of “us” and “them.”
Yet, we all want the same things: good friends, a healthy family, financial security, job opportunities, viable education, and a safe place to live. So what are we doing to that end? Nothing.
Not only did we extend the infantilism of children well into their early teen years, but we also extended high school far into adulthood. The cliques of our campus years are alive and well as apparently, we saw no need to mature past that. It doesn’t matter if your group is a bunch of white supremacists, football fans, followers of a particular car type, bikers, financiers, hipsters, or some other brand identity. If you belong to a subgroup of loyal followers, you have likely adopted attitudes, fashion, and positions that are accepted by the inner circle of thought leaders who require these signs of your belonging. Being an individual is not an option; conform or go elsewhere.
It is a perverted idea that these acts of conformity and polarized groupings are part of the American DNA that makes us unique and special. We are witnessing the travesty that is destroying the fabric of what we were. Rugged individuals can find strength in their struggle to define their character, but to join the herd is the easy relegation of being responsible enough to risk isolation for defining oneself.