Who turned out the fire under the melting pot? That was the great thing about the United States; it was a society where those who came could maintain their cultural heritages (if they so chose) while also becoming Americans. American society provided the opportunity to assimilate the traditions of America – like individualism within societal constraints, loyalty to the common cause of freedom, opportunity to work, and opportunity to succeed. It also allowed us not to take advantage of opportunity, which would eventually have consequences; many of which contribute to today’s difficulties.
All the opportunities were there, but only some took advantage of them and the cracks began to show. The American Dream of freedom to work and achieve evaporated; replaced by the concept of unearned entitlements. Immediate gratification replaced the concept of working towards a goal, and “my right” superseded the rights of society. We have eschewed the concept of individual sacrifice for the common good. We have had false prophets tell us that historically earned privileges are, in fact, God given entitlements that we should not have to work for but will be provided by society at the direction of government. We have disavowed the lessons of nature, where work or don’t eat is the basic tenet, for the new narrative of collectivism, where no work is required for eating, housing, health care, education or equity of outcome.
Accelerated by a 24/7 media constantly searching for, and even creating, victim stories, we went from being a mostly cohesive society into the chaos of collective victimhood, where everyone is a victim and everyone else is responsible for that victimhood. Many are willing to abrogate their real rights in hope of achieving an equity enforced by the government. People ask for recompense for historical actions that were legal when performed, but are now illegal. They want other members of society to provide physical remunerations for historical actions now considered immoral. They have reinterpreted history so that it fits a 21st century narrative, rather than remaining the truth, however ugly. And all of this is done to reinforce a pursuit of equity.
No longer do many subscribe to the nation state concept unless not doing so will, somehow, reduce their remunerations, not just in monies, but in power to dictate how government will work on their behalf, and against those who oppose them.
Can the heat be once more turned on under the melting pot? It is doubtful, for given the depth of the divisions, even if the nation faced an existential crisis of no small danger, those seeking equity would resist ceding their new-found power. We have become not a nation but a geographical collection of people, with large groups motivated by avarice, desire and insatiability, who are proud of their techniques of anger and violence used against those who do not support them.
If you did not recognize them, the nouns in the last sentence are the “Seven Deadly Sins” for which Sodom and Gomorra perished, and Nineveh was threatened. It is time those who support the democratic republic concept turned their thoughts towards stamping out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are grown and turned into, not wine, but a vinegar more disagreeable than the most destructive acids. We do this by invoking the golden mean on our part, and not remaining silent when lies are told or history is distorted. We openly challenge not just the purveyors of such maliciousness, but those who facilitate those traffickers in untruths.
The failure to confront evil will, as so many wise people have warned us, result in evil triumphant. Idealism will not defend you from evil, nor will equity. Reason, logic and action are the only safeguards for the Republic. Do not sit idly by and wait, for when they come for you it is too late. And if you haven’t noticed they’ve already restricted your speech, and free speech has always been the first casualty of totalitarianism.