Thank you Cheryl. Fear of the other and propaganda about “them” …. are driving a huge dagger in the very concept of America. I know of no way to overcome these forces other than education. All of our political and business leaders need to participate. Will 40% of them continue to bury their heads in the sand and let their hearts turn colder? And if they do, then I guess the burden is on the rest of us to persuade and resist. A very long road indeed.
Thanks, Josiah. Yes, you're right, this fear of "the other" has been part of the American story. Many of our ancestors may have experienced it, especially after their arrival to Ellis Island. During World War II, our parents witnessed it with the camps for Japanese people in California. It helps to have this perspective. But what seems to me to be different today is that this prejudice and hatred is emanating from the highest levels of our government. We the people do have to persuade and resist, as you mention.
I was not familiar with Asma. Thank you for telling us about her. She sounds smart and experienced. The comment I feel is most important is how we all must put in the effort to keep America alive - it won’t happen through inertia.
Thanks, Dave. I think I first noticed her on Washington Week, and heard her on NPR, so I was excited to hear she would be speaking in central Iowa. I agree that her reference to inertia is insightful. We have fallen into the trap of thinking that our system of government will simply roll along on automatic pilot!
--race (color) will ultimately regress to the mean--three of our grandchildren have a Chinese grandmother;
--cultural conflicts will mellow along with race;
--dividing the wealth is and should always be contentious, nuanced every two years by election;
--a religion or political movement that advocates violence against others must be corralled;
--finally, an American is one who "has read, studied and believes in the Constitution, as amended." This is the only requirement. It should be a part of every curriculum.
Thanks so much for adding your insights to this discussion. I appreciate how you've separated it into "bite-size" divisions that are more easily digestible. On an anecdotal level, I've observed many families becoming more racially mixed, and any skin-tone differences will fade over time (and as you point out, dissolving cultural differences along the way). The wealth division seems most challenging as we've seen a growing trend for people to resent any real (or imagined) gains by minorities. This probably will ebb and flow, along with the economy. The inclusion of civics in the curriculum – absolutely! Thank you.
Thanks, John, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We Americans have taken our system of government for granted, and we're being reminded on almost a daily basis during this 250th anniversary year that there are no automatic guarantees!
Thank you Cheryl. Fear of the other and propaganda about “them” …. are driving a huge dagger in the very concept of America. I know of no way to overcome these forces other than education. All of our political and business leaders need to participate. Will 40% of them continue to bury their heads in the sand and let their hearts turn colder? And if they do, then I guess the burden is on the rest of us to persuade and resist. A very long road indeed.
Thanks, Josiah. Yes, you're right, this fear of "the other" has been part of the American story. Many of our ancestors may have experienced it, especially after their arrival to Ellis Island. During World War II, our parents witnessed it with the camps for Japanese people in California. It helps to have this perspective. But what seems to me to be different today is that this prejudice and hatred is emanating from the highest levels of our government. We the people do have to persuade and resist, as you mention.
I was not familiar with Asma. Thank you for telling us about her. She sounds smart and experienced. The comment I feel is most important is how we all must put in the effort to keep America alive - it won’t happen through inertia.
Thanks, Dave. I think I first noticed her on Washington Week, and heard her on NPR, so I was excited to hear she would be speaking in central Iowa. I agree that her reference to inertia is insightful. We have fallen into the trap of thinking that our system of government will simply roll along on automatic pilot!
Amongst our divisions, I believe:
--race (color) will ultimately regress to the mean--three of our grandchildren have a Chinese grandmother;
--cultural conflicts will mellow along with race;
--dividing the wealth is and should always be contentious, nuanced every two years by election;
--a religion or political movement that advocates violence against others must be corralled;
--finally, an American is one who "has read, studied and believes in the Constitution, as amended." This is the only requirement. It should be a part of every curriculum.
Thanks so much for adding your insights to this discussion. I appreciate how you've separated it into "bite-size" divisions that are more easily digestible. On an anecdotal level, I've observed many families becoming more racially mixed, and any skin-tone differences will fade over time (and as you point out, dissolving cultural differences along the way). The wealth division seems most challenging as we've seen a growing trend for people to resent any real (or imagined) gains by minorities. This probably will ebb and flow, along with the economy. The inclusion of civics in the curriculum – absolutely! Thank you.
I greatly appreciated this column. I agree with Dave's comment, we all must put in the effort to preserve our republic.
Thanks, John, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We Americans have taken our system of government for granted, and we're being reminded on almost a daily basis during this 250th anniversary year that there are no automatic guarantees!