5 Painful Truths About America For The Overly Ideological
Patriotism has become a partisan issue in America. Many on the left would rather shame those who would hang a flag on the 4th of July. And most of the right goes too far in the opposite direction, driving flag-laden pickup trucks on their way to the grocery store. Meanwhile, both camps are increasingly unhappy about where the country is, and unsure about where it is heading.
As someone who rarely feels comfortable in an ideological camp, the 4th of July confirms my lack of a tribe. I feel more patriotic than most of my colleagues on the left, while my friends on the right equally concern me with their red, white and blue overalls and the “WTF is a Kilometer” t-shirts.
I need to check in on the American project in my own way, perhaps as a milestone before what could be the end of democracy, depending on who you ask. To contextualize my thinking, here are 5 truths about America that I like to keep in mind. These truths are not inherently positive or negative. If America fails it will be due to these truths not being understood or utilized by our leaders. And if America succeeds, it will be because we wield these truths to our advantage.
America is a Society of Individuals, not a Nation of Collectivists
The United States of America should also be perceived as the United People of America. Our political and economic system is designed to empower the freedom of the individual at the cost of the group. Designed to counter the collectivist pressures of the old world, America became a place where immigrants could become anything they wanted. This has been confirmed time and time again, especially during historical moments when theocracy, communism and other collectivist politics took hold elsewhere in the world. Everyone here is free to think what they want, and that has allowed the country to change an immense amount in a relatively short span of time.
This is a difficult tradition to put back in the bottle, and one that particularly angers the religious right and the communist left. Americans view a club that can supposedly solve all their problems with skepticism or scorn. This creates unique political challenges for those attempting to change the status quo, but it also makes us resilient in ways that few countries can match.
America is Built on Competition
As a nation of individuals, everyone in America is taught to focus on getting theirs. This is how businesses operate, and how individuals often approach their lives. The creation of wealth through competitive enterprise gives people the power to change the country and the world. Is it elite driven? Absolutely. Is it less elite driven than any other form of society in history? 100% yes. Skeptics will call this a lottery ticket, but our system still gives the average person better odds than the old world, which is filled with entrenched elites that still stem from land ownership and aristocracy.
My favorite example of this is America’s westward expansion. Despite numerous ethical and logistic challenges, the government basically created a free-for-all to settle the western states. It created chaos, violence, wealth and fresh starts for millions of immigrants. The competitive souls survived and thrived. Those who lost or avoided competition would fade away. These traditions are engrained in our culture, whether we like it or not.
America is a Capitalist Experiment
Sorry socialists, this is an unfortunate truth for you. Because of this competitive ethos, America has been shaped in a way that makes wealth accumulation and pro-business policies the norm. Now, wealthy individuals and corporations hold an outsized sway over the nation’s politics and media. This should not be surprising for anyone. This is also how things work in every other country. America just offers that “lottery ticket” that I mentioned earlier, which gives people the perception of a true meritocracy. We aren’t there, but we’re closer than most.
However, America is an odd mix of socialism and capitalism that still impresses me. We have plenty of welfare in place for the elderly and the poor. When circumstances have gotten bad enough for workers, they’ve largely gotten better wages and conditions. Those workers have also experienced numerous quality of life improvements driven by technological innovation and lower costs. When businesses go too far, they often fail, even if they’ve corrupted government officials along the way. We are far from an Anarcho-Capitalist state, and that can concern you or comfort you, depending on where you sit.
America is a Nation of Immigrants
Okay, it is time to upset the conservatives. Immigration has been America’s primary path to success. We have used it to collect scientists, inventors, capitalists, laborers from all over the world. Some were fleeing collectivist societies run amok, while others were simply greedy. The result is largely the same, a more dynamic society that improves our standing in the world. A vast majority of the top companies in America are run by immigrants who chose to come here, creating domestic wealth and influence for them and their employees.
The day America ceases to be a place where people go to build a better life is the day that our experiment begins to fail. Immigrants have saved this country more times than I can count, and we have room for plenty more of them. If you believe in competition and ambition as part of America’s success, you should welcome new entrants that bring new ideas into the fold. This truth also enhances our individualist nature, as these immigrants bring their own culture and ideas. Immigrants make us ideologically resistant to groupthink and totalitarianism.
America is the Most Dynamic Society on Earth
In less than 300 years, America has become history’s most powerful empire. We have been on the winning side of two of the world’s most terrible wars. We have landed on the moon. We invented the Internet, blue jeans and, unfortunately, pickleball. Our political leaders have avoided nuclear disaster, while also displacing and destroying millions of lives through proxy wars and conflicts. We are a mixed bag of genius and stupidity. Benevolence and malevolence.
We are also the most propagandized people on earth. Political elites, foreign powers, and New York ad executives have highly motivated interests in changing the way we think. This works on an enormous amount of us. Citizens vote against their own best interests, and they buy things they can’t afford. The American individual, love it or hate it, is flawed. But this individualism has created a dynamism that’s solved more problems than it has created.
How is the American Experiment Working Out?
This is a question I revisit often, and I could think differently in a matter of months. My gut tells me that we are at the end of the Neoliberal order that took hold in the 1980’s. Our elites are much too wealthy, old and out of touch. This will surely lead to some turbulence, but history makes me confident in America’s ability to pivot. We have countless advantages over the next 50 years. Because of this, I am not a doomsayer. That said, we have plenty of chances to screw this experiment up, so let’s keep thinking, discussing and debating where we’re going next.