Name: Dear America
Rating: 3.4 (194 reviews)
Author: Graham Allen

What’s in it for me? Set America back on track.

September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten. But September 12 shouldn’t be forgotten either. In the wake of tragedy, United States citizens of all races, political backgrounds, and beliefs set their differences aside and came together under one shared identity: Americans.

Fast forward 20 years, and this sense of patriotism and camaraderie is long gone. In a culture of intolerance, Americans have turned on one another – going from countrymen to enemies and spelling out a dark future for American democracy.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how TV dinners may have contributed to the downfall of American culture;
why division should be celebrated, not condemned; and
what it means for Americans to reclaim the spirit of September 12, 2001.

Americans have let their country slip away from them.

A storm is brewing in the United States. From sea to shining sea, dark clouds of discord shroud the entire nation – forecasting the impending downfall of American democracy.

The United States is not what it once was. The nation is deeply divided. Patriotism is at an all-time low. Socialism is on the rise, with major institutions spewing the same radical rhetoric over and over. Facts have become fiction. Cancel culture runs rampant. The Constitution is under attack, with foundational rights like freedom of speech being threatened on a regular basis.

Worst of all? Few people are doing anything to set America back on track. The “land of the free,” it seems, is no longer “home of the brave.” Across political party lines, millions of people are left wondering: How did we get here? And what comes next?

The key message here is: Americans have let their country slip away from them.

It’s easy to point fingers at politicians for leading the country astray, but blame won’t bring the old America back. This storm has been brewing for years now – and contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t spurred on by any one person or party. Together, Americans have allowed their country to descend into disarray. And now, it’s up to them to bring it back.

To see how far America has fallen, let’s rewind to World War II for a moment. Across states, backgrounds, and party lines, Americans courageously rallied to fight Nazi Germany; many citizens lied about their age to serve in the military, storm the beaches of Normandy, and die for their country. Back then, the American people believed in something far greater than themselves. They took the national motto to heart: E pluribus unum, or “Out of many, one.” America was great, it was theirs, and it was always worth fighting for.

Fast forward to today, and the spirit of America is suffering. In fact, a study by the RAND Corporation showed that more than half of US military personnel now serve because of the benefits that await them when they get out. For them, it’s not about the mission – it’s about themselves. How’s that for patriotism?

In the bygone America, citizens united around three core values: faith, family, and freedom. Today, these pillars have crumbled to the ground. So, how did faith, family, and freedom devolve into me, myself, and I in such a short time span? Let’s explore that question in the next blink.

Things went wrong when community stopped being the core of American life.

Frozen mashed potatoes. Mystery meat. Blocks of veggies. Bagged gravy. Thin plastic film. At first glance, TV dinners may seem pretty unremarkable. But what if someone told you that this innocuous invention was partly to blame for the downfall of American democracy?

[Pause] Sounds like a pretty big stretch, huh? Well, let’s peel back the plastic and take a look.

Diversity of thought is healthy; homogeneous groupthink is not.

Of course, TV dinners and electronic garage doors were only the beginning of America’s cultural descent. Then came the advent of social media, which enabled millions of people to throw common courtesy out the window, post inflammatory opinions they would never dare voice aloud, and lose themselves for hours in harmful echo chambers.

Before long, a new way of thinking had emerged: I’m right, you’re wrong, shut up. People started viewing diversity of thought as something undesirable – dangerous, even. The unspoken sentiment became, How dare other people think differently than me?

Many Americans misinterpret their basic rights.

In order to reclaim their country, Americans must also abandon the misguided notion that they are guaranteed happiness.

Look closely at the Declaration of Independence, and you’ll see that the American people are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Founding Fathers were careful with their choice of words. There’s a big difference between being guaranteed happiness and being guaranteed the pursuit of it.

The spirit of September 12 can save America.

September 11, 2001 will always be remembered as one of the darkest days in American history. But the next day, something remarkable happened.

From coast to coast, differences disappeared on September 12. It didn’t matter if you were liberal or conservative, rich or poor, gay or straight, Black or white, man or woman, religious or an atheist. In mourning, people found meaning – uniting as Americans despite their differences. They were Americans, first and foremost, and they were standing together: out of many, one.

Kernaussagen in Dear America