I’ll start by saying this article talks about things that predate me - I was born just after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
But, I do think there is some merit to what he is nostalgic about. I do not have a doubt that a-lot of it probably through the lenses of rose-tinted-glasses, but it does seem the USA used to be more “United.” After all, while I don’t think his politics or his legacy are that great, Reagan did manage to win 49 out of 50 states in 1984. That is something I do not think is possible anymore.
He also talks about how some states like West Virginia trigger thoughts of “Red State” and I admit that is one of my first thoughts, too. On the flip side, Middle America definitely sees New York and California as “Blue States” and loathes them all the same. Just a simple mention of them causes a-lot of Middle America to talk about how they’re lawless, bankrupt, overrun by criminals and on the verge of collapse. These are not true, of course, but it’s what they have been lead to believe by conservative leaders. It’s unfortunate and sad.
What is curious to me though, and is something I wish he talked more about, is how somehow conservatives have captured a monopoly on patriotism and pride in the United States. Many liberals seem to have forsaken patriotism as archaic, backwards, and indicative of bigotry. To be fair, there are a-lot of instances where this is true, but could it not also be a self-fulfilling prophecy? I am not saying we should not be critical of the US - there is more than enough to critical of - but I think Liberals should be striving to create a new definition of what it means to be American, rather than forsaking it altogether and allowing conservatives to monopolize and define it as they see fit.
I’ll start by saying this article talks about things that predate me - I was born just after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
But, I do think there is some merit to what he is nostalgic about. I do not have a doubt that a-lot of it probably through the lenses of rose-tinted-glasses, but it does seem the USA used to be more “United.” After all, while I don’t think his politics or his legacy are that great, Reagan did manage to win 49 out of 50 states in 1984. That is something I do not think is possible anymore.
He also talks about how some states like West Virginia trigger thoughts of “Red State” and I admit that is one of my first thoughts, too. On the flip side, Middle America definitely sees New York and California as “Blue States” and loathes them all the same. Just a simple mention of them causes a-lot of Middle America to talk about how they’re lawless, bankrupt, overrun by criminals and on the verge of collapse. These are not true, of course, but it’s what they have been lead to believe by conservative leaders. It’s unfortunate and sad.
What is curious to me though, and is something I wish he talked more about, is how somehow conservatives have captured a monopoly on patriotism and pride in the United States. Many liberals seem to have forsaken patriotism as archaic, backwards, and indicative of bigotry. To be fair, there are a-lot of instances where this is true, but could it not also be a self-fulfilling prophecy? I am not saying we should not be critical of the US - there is more than enough to critical of - but I think Liberals should be striving to create a new definition of what it means to be American, rather than forsaking it altogether and allowing conservatives to monopolize and define it as they see fit.