(See below, about the image above.)
My husband and I have movie rituals.
On Christmas, we watch the Albert Finney musical of Scrooge. On New Year’s Eve, we watch 200 Cigarettes. And on Halloween, we watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney, with Bing Crosby).
And on the Fourth of July, we watch 1776, the musical with William Daniels, Howard da Silva, and Ken Howard (The White Shadow!)
And so this inspires me, every year, to reflect seriously on how I can find meaning in being American. And this year it’s reminding me of the year I asked my English pen-pal for a good book on British History because I was such an anglophile. (It would have been in the late ’80s or early ’90s.)
He told me he didn’t want to, because he found most of British history “horrifying.”
And now it’s our turn.
But after a history of growing up in a family where shame was used to control my behavior, I find myself willing to embrace the horror and resist the shame. I believe it’s important to say that yes–the horrible things happened. And no, we don’t get to just hang our heads and wish it hadn’t. We’ve got plenty of work to do, and as I consider what that work is, I start to see “America” in three different ways.
This is me, grappling.
America, in its vast and intricate landscape, can be envisioned as a multi-layered entity. Each layer, or tier, contributing uniquely to the collective whole.
- At the first level, I see our people, our daily life pulse of action and activity in the nation — the choices we make, the actions we take.
- Then comes the structural layer: the institutions and systems that provide the framework for our shared lives.
- Finally, underpinning everything, are the ideals, the values and intentions that serve as the bedrock of the nation, a guiding beacon for us all.
In the interplay of these three tiers — actions, structures, and ideals — I find the evolving story of who we are as Americans. And I find them useful to understand, to critique, and to celebrate these essential aspects of our American journey.
Everyday Americans: The Heartbeat of Our Nation
America isn’t just an idea, it’s a vibrant community of individuals who get up each day and take action. It’s folks like you and me, who don’t just stand by but step up, make choices, and play our part. It’s here we find both the strength and vulnerability of the American story.
This is America in all its diversity. All of the political leanings. All of the racial checkboxes. All of our intersecting identities. We feel so fractured, and yet we are still a “we.”
Consider our collective response in the face of natural disasters — we rally, we help, we rebuild. It’s a testament to our shared resilience and unity.
And, it’s impossible to overlook the roadblocks that stand in the path of many of us. The Pew Research Center found that the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorest families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. We’re feeling the pain of that, and it’s part of what we need to fix.
These disparities are a call to action. We need to level the playing field, removing barriers that keep us from fulfilling our potential, ensuring equal access to quality education and rewarding jobs for everyone.
And we need to be involved. To respond to opportunities to vote. To contribute our voices to group action so we may be heard. It’s no small thing.
The Backbone of our Society: America’s Structures and Institutions
When I take a step back and look at the big picture, I see the structures and institutions that give shape to our collective lives. They’re the setting of our national narrative — the schools, the hospitals, the courthouses, the Capitol.
Some of these institutions are the pride of our nation — We might feel a little swell of pride when hearing about Harvard or MIT topping global university rankings. But more and more it seems there are parts of this structure that let us down. Our supreme court, our healthcare system (despite our advances) that lags behind other high-income countries in terms of performance. Our over-utilized prisons.
It’s clear that it’s time for a remodel. I don’t have answers for this, but I stand behind and hope to fuel those who would work for positive change.
America’s Guiding Star: Ideals, Values, and Intentions
And then there are American ideals. Our perspectives on these ideals are far from uniform, but (ideally?) these are the shining star we set our course by. These aren’t supposed to be the dusty relics of history but the live wires sparking our collective actions, our pursuit of democracy, freedom, equality, and justice. If we just declare them dead and gone, what inspiration is there to make change? I would far rather prop them up and say, “Let’s try this!” than be a naysayer.
These ideals have spurred progress that we can look back on with pride, such as the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-20th century or the ongoing fight for voting rights and LGBTQIA+ rights. We fall friggin’ short. But that doesn’t mean the ideals should come down. Rather, our ideals become a mirror, reflecting the gap between where we stand and where we aspire to be.
Let’s aspire. Let’s take up the challenge, then, to close this gap, even if it turns out to be impossible. Let’s take the honest look in the mirror, acknowledging where we’ve strayed from our path, and committing to the hard work of realigning our actions with our ideals.
You wouldn’t take one look in the mirror at home and say, “Euch. Never again!” Nope. You fix that stuff. And you keep looking and fixing.
Weaving Our American Tapestry
Our actions, our structures, and our ideals — they’re not separate threads but intertwined strands that form the tapestry of America. It’s a complex and often challenging pattern, but also a beautiful one, rich with promise and progress. They talk to each other all the time.
America, for all its complexities, has always been a nation on the move, ready to roll up its sleeves and get to work. Our challenges are merely reminders of the journey that lies ahead. By striving for equity in opportunities, by reshaping our institutions, by living out our ideals, we move closer to the America we dream of.
The discussions around rights, equity, and healthcare serve as examples of this journey. They remind us of the importance of continuous improvement in our systems.
Our American journey is a testament to our potential. Each challenge faced is an opportunity to grow, to adapt, and to build a more robust nation. The road ahead may be long, but with our shared commitment and effort, it’s one that we’ll navigate together.
There you have it. I am on the American journey — not just a destination, but a continuous pursuit of a (more?) (perfect?) union.
*The image of Paul Giamatti is from HBO’s John Adams. In this scene, he is witnessing a human being as he is “tarred and feathered,” and he calls it barbaric.
The following two videos were run as part of the PBS NewsHour the evening after I wrote the above, and they feel to me like part of the conversation. I include them here for your convenience.
