The morphing of the American character

This column is either going to make you mad or make you think.

It is up to you, but the American character is now so wildly out of kilter that it begs to be examined.

For a country that established itself by winning a war against a most improbable enemy, the British Empire, we seem to have lost our interest in influencing where this country is heading. For starters, why don”™t American citizens, not just issue-oriented demonstrators, pour into the streets to protest injustice, the abuse of the Constitution or stolen elections, as we see citizens of other countries doing in the media almost every night?

We have no trouble filling football stadiums or the so-called “Canyon of Heroes” to honor the Yankees because they won the World Series for the 27th time. Meanwhile, less than 50 percent of the adult population is moved to even get out and vote. What does this say about the American character?

The current fight over health care reform reveals the depth of self-interest in the country ”“ each segment of the population is determined to hang on to its current piece of the pie. Meanwhile, the majority of health care dollars go to the last six months of life while there are children receiving little or no health care. People are being pushed to bankruptcy because of monumental health care costs, many of whom actually had insurance, but this has had no impact on the discussion. What does this say about the American character?

And then there are our veterans ”“ we forget about the need to care for the broken minds and bodies when our warriors come home. The exposé of the conditions of the veterans at the old Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., a short time ago was beyond shocking. On top of that, nearly a third of the homeless in the country are veterans. What does this say about the American character?

 

Travelers to this country in the 1830s found citizens here obsessed with business and wealth. Today the description would be more precise but in the same mode. As author Paul Erdman says, “The entire essence of America is the hope to first make money ”“ then make money with money ”“ then make lots of money with lots of money.” Ralph Waldo Emerson was more charitable: “America is another name for opportunity.”

 

Even before the banking and housing debacle, in which there was plenty of blame to go around, the gap between rich and poor was steadily widening. To put this in context, in 1965 the average pay of a CEO of a major U.S. company was 25 times the salary of the average worker. Today, the average CEO”™s pay is more than 250 times the average worker”™s. There is almost no interest in reducing the gap by increasing the tax on the upper income level. From 1951 to 1963 the tax rate was 91 percent on top earners and the deficit was under control. Now the top rate is 35 percent and there is a lot of screaming against any new taxes on the top earners. Meanwhile the deficit continues to soar. (From Harvard Magazine ”“ 2007/08). What does this say about the American character?

An extended discussion in Harper”™s Magazine (June 2008) by Mark Slouka describes another problem, a growing deference to authority. In recent times much has been written about the growing imperial presidency. It remains to be seen whether a new direction will be established in the current administration.

The real issue here has been the dampening of dissent in the country and the use of the fear of terrorism as a ploy to implement changes in our freedoms. As Slouka puts it ”“ “Maybe we are not out in the street protesting ”¦ abuses of power because we”™re no longer the people we once were, because we have been effectively bred for docility.”

A frightening thought, but one we must take very seriously.

Lest this discussion be too much of a downer there are many trends afoot in the U.S. that suggest another American character is emerging, a more positive manifestation of the soul of this nation. That will be the subject of another column.