This is a dirty secret: a great country is built on a great common culture. I say this is a secret, because discussing this historical fact has almost become taboo; progressive people around the world have decisively opposed national heritage, and it is basically progressive people that dominate mainstream culture.but if Democratic Party To avoid further electoral disasters like Virginia, Long Island, and other places, it is best to re-recognize the obvious fact that a common culture that binds us is not only good and necessary, but also welcome.
Although it is fashionable to oppose the concept of common culture in progressive circles, there is no inherent contradiction between this idea and the progressive agenda. Great progressives like Eugene Debus, George McGovern, or Martin Luther King are American critics and patriots. Phrases like “The Death of America”—Recently tweeted By the president of the student union University of Kansas-or Tweets from Seattle DA “I must hate this country” is as foreign to Dr. King as supporting political violence.But things have become so weird that National Archives Feel the need to warn us that our founding documents, such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, contain what they call “harmful language.”
But this version of liberalism is not only incompatible with the old progressives. Only a very small number of Americans, Well below 10%, Think of yourself progress, with Majority refused Views on the unique depravity of the United States. And the prevalence of “awakening” views in the media and popular culture, Despite how marginal it is in American society, To explain Democratic Party‘The disastrous defeat in the polls last week.
In the final analysis, this is actually an argument about history. Can we have a common national culture? This is another way to ask if we can have a common interpretation of our past. The answer now seems to be no.In line with the view that the United States is depraved, the (minor) progressive left believes that American history is uniquely shameful and racist. This view provides a reason for separation. Third grade student Divide them by race and ask them to rank their “privileges.” Although the number is small, there are educational and corporate institutions behind the progressives.
What they don’t have is support parents, Apparently in rebellion.More and more numbers are Homeschooling, or Turn to charter with private schoolContrary to the progressive myths surrounding this, this is not because they do not want to teach tragedies in American history, or the changing nature of America. It’s not that these parents don’t believe that the current education needs to emphasize the role of ethnic minorities; it’s that they believe that this directive should not reduce minorities to victims, but that they should be portrayed as they are. Contribute to our national culture and economy in a perfect system.
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In the end, contrary to the views of many of our academic circles and media, the United States is not a country based on racial commonality, but a set of political ideas.You know this is true because of our country’s attractiveness to immigrants; what are new Latin, African or Asian immigrants coming to the United States for different Than what they have at home. They are looking for our national spirit, which was best described by Frederick Jackson Turner 130 years ago: the “disturbed nerve energy” imposed by “dominant individualism” “.
It’s a pity now Fashion Dismissed things like hard work, punctuality, individualism, and family as “whites.”But ethnic minorities, especially immigrants, tend to show greater tendencies Start a business Than many Americans Culturally more conservative, In the U.S. and U.K., Longer than native.Especially Asian parents Negative reaction motion Delete criteria for Academic High School, Accusing successful Asians of adopting “white supremacist thinking” as San Francisco School Board Member Take it.
What is particularly worrying is that math with science, Where Immigrants and their children Now dominates. As former Obama consultant physicist Steve Koonin pointed out, science itself is becoming more and more politicized. On campus, militant organizations are like “Turn off STEM” seek Recalibrate science and mathematics Even seemingly innocent fields like this astronomy Fill in the progressive criticism of Western progress.
At the same time, ideas that are essential to the operation of a diversified society—the rule of law, debate, objectivity—are increasingly being replaced by postmodernist ideas. Race and gender, Something Biden Administration Sadly seems to have embraced. And the media, instead of opposing non-liberalism, now celebrate it.In too many cases, long-term liberal writers point out Andrew Sullivan“The narrative replaces the news”, often using confusing, opaque, and clumsy language, which offends good socialists like this George Orwell.
The good news is that the Americans are fighting back, including those on the left. public Despise now media At a historical level.The ratings of all networks—especially the extremely politicized CNN—have declined, while Hollywood’s Politically correct film Did not do well. The progressive orthodoxy of Hollywood’s party line clearly excludes many Americans.
U.S. business May claim that embracing the “social justice” defined by the activist left is beneficial to companies, but there are Not enough evidence Indeed so; Fox NewsLate night host Greg Gutfield The ratings now are higher than those of his more mature online counterparts, and the anti-arousal Comedian Dave Chapel Already obtain Aroused an enthusiastic response from the audiences, if not Critics in line with the partisan line. and Daily Telegraph, A conservative website, order more Facebook Engagement ratio New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, with CNN Combine. In contrast, well-funded progressive websites, Buzzfeed and VICE Has been suffering from massive layoffs and declining valuations.
All of this shows that Americans are eager to return to a common culture and a common history—a history abandoned by potential cultural arbiters.
The cultural change didn’t come fast enough; we’ve seen a big drop patriotism Among young people.There are already more than one-third of young people Not warm to their country More than two-fifths of people agree with the view that censorship is unpopular, according to seat Research center.
We need to recognize once again the genius inherent in our republic. Re-isolate Because ideals may be popular on the extreme left, but interracial dating and marriage are Rapid growth, Most ethnic minorities, like their whites, now live in suburbs. this Fastest growing race It is mixed in the United States; One in ten babies People born in the United States have one white parent and one non-white parent, and now 12% of all African Americans are immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, and other places.
As Walt Whitman said, we are becoming a “race of race.” If we regain our lost sense of common purpose and belief in American experiments, this is still our country’s commitment.
Joel Kotkin is the Presidential Fellow of the Future of Cities at Chapman University and the Executive Director of the Urban Reform Institute. His new book, The arrival of neo-feudalism, Now comes out of Encounter. You can follow him on Twitter: @乔尔科特金.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
