Nationalism
is, mildly put, tricky. A sense of identity based on a shared, mythologized,
past is ever more elusive in an era of tribalism and division. My history of
America probably doesn’t look like yours.
So what
is our shared past? What is the basic American story? Here, again, we run into
trouble. History has – with good reason, clearly – become a battlefield in the
culture wars. Schools are fighting over whether they can even mention slavery –
much less discuss its lived experience or effects.
Is
there any shared identity and past we can agree on? I think there is at least
some. Here’s a very stripped-down version of the real story – the sketchy
cartoon – that, unfortunately, far, far too many Americans have as their
understanding. Tragically, due to poor education, most Americans get a lousy
retelling of mostly 1800s U.S. culture – further eroding a sense of unity and
national identity. Its relevancy is largely unclear, so why bother paying
attention? But I think even the casually invested kid would pick up on something
like this:
“The
colonies were British, and settled by people seeking religious freedom. The
colonists wanted their rights, and wrote the Declaration of Independence. The
Revolutionary War was due to unfair taxes from the British, and was won by
George Washington, later our first President. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution,
and the Bill of Rights. The North was free, and the South had slavery on
plantations. Pioneers headed out to settle the western lands, and fought with
Indians, including the Trail of Tears. We won the Mexican American War, gaining
lots of land. People realized slavery was bad – which some people had said all
along like Harriet Tubman – and so they fought the Civil War…”
Even
here, the paths diverge. We had the “lost cause” narrative, and the “states’
rights” narrative for so long, that many probably don’t even understand why the
war happened, or see the gentility of the Southern aristocracy as ‘noble’. But
to return to the story:
“The
Civil War was won by the North, thanks to Abraham Lincoln, who was tragically
shot. Black people were freed, but then things got worse again during
Reconstruction. Meanwhile, brilliant Americans like Thomas Edison were
industrializing the country, and railroads were being built. Cowboys helped
tame the west. The Gilded Age saw people get very wealthy and build enormous
mansions, which Mark Twain wrote about. America went to war with Spain and
gained land overseas. European immigrants poured into the U.S., and lived in
tenements, near the Statue of Liberty. The production line was made by Henry
Ford. World War One took place, and Americans went and fought with our allies
in Europe…”
This is
around where the story would stop, for many – likely most. From my experiences
teaching and as a student in multiple states, it’s a rare classroom that makes
it past WWI. But let’s say they do…
“America
was doing well in the 1920s, and women got the right to vote, but then there
was the stock market crash, prohibition, the Dust Bowl, and the Great
Depression. Things turned around under FDR, with the New Deal. We won World War
II, defeating Hitler, and ushering in a new era of prosperity, and the 1950s
culture of the suburbs. Civil Rights were led by Martin Luther King Jr., and
segregation was ended…”
Note
that the start of segregation is largely glossed over.
“Then
America fought the Cold War against the Russians, and the Vietnam War during
the 60s. This was the same decade as the hippies.”
And by
this point, really, hardly anyone gets past. I’ve never seen a curriculum make
it past Vietnam and the 60s – ever. Even the AP US course has one section on
“1980-present” and it’s only worth 5% of the total of the exam. It says the
following is important:
“Conservativism
became popular under Reagan, and the Cold War ended, which America won. Our
southern border became the main source of illegal immigration. The
technological advancement of computers and the internet made things more
complex. The end.”
Note
that Nixon and Watergate are absent… So, yeah. I think this is the basic story
– at best – that most Americans have of their country. It is full of holes, at
times nonsensical, and troubled. But hey: At least it’s definitely ‘semi-mythical’.
* * *
That’s
the dry stuff, the frame story. What people, culture, and arts do Americans
know, and share?
I fear
that there is a yawning generational divide on this. Historical knowledge and
popular culture have, for a century at least, had generational divisions – but
they are much, much starker now. I think the Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers
have a relatively shared culture. I was too young for Johnny Carson and Walter
Cronkite – but I know who they are. They were too old for South Park and Ren
& Stimpy – but they know who they are. You don’t have to have watched
Cheers to know the significance of “Norm!”, Friends to know “We were on a
break!” or The Office to get “Parkour!”
The
same applies for music – we all know Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Michael
Jackson. Boomers know who Kurt Cobain was, and Millennials know Tina Turner.
Film, likewise: It’s a Wonderful Life, The Godfather, The Matrix: all shared.
Even literature, thanks to popular classics, means most people have read or are
familiar with To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, and
Of Mice and Men.
But the
Boomer to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gap, is enormous. 20% of the U.S. is Boomers, and
Gen X make up another 20%. (5% are older than Boomers – Silent Generation.) Add
in Millennials – and you get another 20%, totaling 65% older than Gen Z. So roughly
a third of Americans don’t fit into this shared mold: and that’s obviously
going to grow.
Gen Z
is from 1997-2012. The oldest members are pushing 30 – it’s a major bulk of the
culture. Even Gen Alpha, 2013-present (the final roughly 15%) are now entering
high school, when cultural impact on society really begins. But these digital
natives have grown up in a balkanized online culture that has little overlap
between groups, much less people who aren’t part of that world. Influencers,
YouTubers, podcasters – everyone has their own little niche culture now.
I
think, to be culturally shared, you need to have at least two, and ideally
three things: Your name is known, with at least some sense of identity; you are
recognized visually; and a significant portion of the population, say at least
a fifth, knows you well. Albert Einstein, for example, is universally
recognized, people have heard his name, and they know he’s a scientist or
physicist. A good portion of the population knows his work fairly well. I have
never seen an episode of Power Puff Girls, but I recognize them on sight, know
their names and their nemesis, and roughly know that they fight… crime?
The
good news: Some culture is still universal. However, it’s very corporate – the
billionaire juggernauts and franchises. We all know Taylor Swift, Star Wars,
and SpongeBob. If you never grew up reading Stan Lee comics, you sure as heck
know who The Avengers are now. Beyond this sort of dominance, though, it’s too
compartmentalized and divided. Music has become a free-for-all; YA literature
is overwhelmingly vast. There are way too many TV shows to keep up with. Only a
handful of prestige dramas cut through the noise – and most people aren’t
watching those. Shogun, in 2024, won all sorts of awards (Emmys, Golden Globes)
and was a critical darling. 9 million people watched it in the first weeks.
Compare that to the original Shogun of 1980 – where well over 20 million people
tuned in. Roots, in the 70s, had more than half of American households watch. I
Love Lucy commanded even higher proportions in the 50s.
But
those days seemingly are gone. Whether that’s good or bad can be debated. Freedom
of choice, individuality – these are things we prize, and rightly so.
Conformity is often bad. But some conformity is necessary for a shared sense of
identity: we have to have some things in common. And so, nationalism, as a
consequence, begins to break down even further.
* * *
Most
troubling is what people turn to for identity if they don’t have a shared story
and culture: things like religion, gender, and race.
Together
we build our culture, and our history. It is our choices and actions as a
collective that make us who we are, in a national identity. We are: The people
who defeated the Saxons. The people of the purple hills. The people who play
the gamelan.
For
much of our more tribal past, these identities were religious, based on
kinship, or based on dynasty. The Hakim tribe. The Zionist nation. The Empire
of the Sun. The power of democracy is that we have more say and control of who
we are, as a people. We are not defined by our race, religion, color or creed.
Or at least, we’re not supposed to be.
Without
shared identity – a sense of what makes Americans, Americans – the roots of
democracy have begun to wither. Around 40% of American youth thinks a different
form of government would be better. Many are open about the desire for
authoritarianism, in the U.S. and around the globe. Not surprisingly, the older
generation, that may have been through this, is less inclined.
But if
we are no longer The People Who Watch Cronkite, or The People Who Listen to
Stevie Wonder, or The People who Put a Man on the Moon, then we can be divided,
instead of united. And divided, we can be easily conquered.
That
division will be from within, and we can see it in voting patterns. Men and
women vote differently. People of different races vote differently. Religion,
gender, sexuality – these things become wedges instead of celebrated. Racism,
sexism, antisemitism – all of these terrible ideas will start to reemerge and,
unless fiercely stamped out, spread and grow. A host of invasive species in the
ecosystem of our national identity.
So,
what do we do?
Do we
try to limit the balkanization of culture with more uniformity – more
conformity? Do we encourage greater cultural diffusion, and intermingling? Do
we ensure a shared, accurate, historical narrative through teaching? Do we
force people to spend time together through service or bussing in schools? Do
we focus more on teaching values and the characteristics that reinforce
pluralism, empathy, tolerance, and democracy? I would say yes – to all of the
above, and more. But none of it will be easy.
The
alternative, however, is far worse. An America where sex, gender, and sexuality
have a hierarchy. A caste system based on race, or religion. A land where not
all are created equal. A land where democracy is derided, and strongmen rule,
imposing their will and their whims upon us. A land where our identity is not
forged by us, the citizens, but by the ruling class – whether that be
corporations, an aristocracy, or kings.
