“Mr. Robinson, do you think our founding
fathers would be proud of our nation today?” I usually get this question in my
American History classes sometime around Thanksgiving or Christmas. By this
time we’ve covered the Revolutionary War and the writing of the Constitution.
The question normally, though not always, comes from a student with a troubled
view of society in general. They tend to focus on the negative traits of our
society, thinking that I will join them in a pessimistic assessment. They, and
almost everyone else in the classroom, express surprise at my answer.
“I think they’d be rather proud of our
nation, and perhaps surprised at our success.” I seriously believe this. This
comes from two sources; my generally positive outlook and the fact that I have
to read a lot of history in order to teach it. It also stands in contrast to
much of the socio-political speech and imagery that fills modern media.
Politicians and their surrogates expend large amounts of money, time, and
creative energy stoking the fires of fear. Vote for me, support my candidate,
accept my policies, embrace my world view or life as we know it will cease to
exist. This exploitation of fear skews the view of many people into a very dark
place. Many, despite evidence to the contrary, feel fearful, living their lives
in dread of some unnamed enemy or catastrophe. They constantly wring their
hands despite the unparalleled prosperity and security of this time.
I understand that my glass is constantly
half-full. I also know that by almost any metric you choose, we live in a land
and time of great material blessing. Without laying blame or assigning credit
we enjoy an unemployment rate of 5.8%. Since my birth in 1961 the U.S. economy
has continued to grow, albeit with periodic downturns, most notably in 1974, 1982,
and 2010 1. Since 1948 our unemployment rate has consistently been
under 10%, rarely above 10%, and usually below 5% the figure traditionally
quoted as full employment 2. Of course we’ve endured various
downturns, but nothing as painful as the great depression. This applies to
crime as well.
In almost any water-cooler conversation
that turns to crime, most people assume that things are much worse than they
used to be. Yet, violent crime rates have fallen over the past twenty years.
This information comes from the FBI, a trustworthy source 3. In
general, the United States is a much safer place than it used to be, yet most
people find that hard to believe. Even after viewing data that contradicts
their view, they insist that in their neck of the woods crime rates are rising
and the streets remain unsafe. They long for some idyllic point in the past
when bad things did not happen to good people. Where does this pessimism come
from?
The current political season causes much
of this. Candidates and parties on both sides of the aisle employ the politics
of fear. Elect me or things will get worse. Some even put out a message that
claims our nation teeters on the edge of an existential abyss, claiming that we’ve
gone backwards somehow. This incessant hue and cry of impending apocryphal
crisis influences people. Despite the problems we face, and we do face a variety
of serious problems, by almost any measure our nation is a stunning success. I
regularly chat with colleagues who express grave doubts about our nation. They
struggle to believe when I point out facts that say otherwise.
We must construct our world-view based on
facts. We must not let politicians, news organizations and pundits continually
stoke the fires of distress and alarm. All of them profit from fear mongering. Some
build constituencies, some increase market share, and others simply make money
through a continual ringing of the claxon. Through creating a climate of fear,
those in power avoid addressing the serious problems we face. They encourage us
to focus on nonexistent dangers. This enables them to gain our support without
having to develop sound strategies for dealing with the real challenges we face
as a nation, and as a global community. In this election cycle we must force
politicians to address the difficulties of our day. In so doing, we will
forward this great experiment in democracy, continuing the progress our
founding fathers worked and sacrificed to start. We must thwart those forces
which would exploit fear and take us backward. Instead, let us with firm resolve,
clearly evaluate our current situation and determine the best course of action
to address the real issues we face. Then we can effectively continue the great
work building and strengthening those democratic institutions which have made
our nation a great one, one that its originators will be proud of.
1. The
World Bank at: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=US
2. The Wall Street Journal at: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703338004575230041742556522
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