Summary of the book "Dear America" - By Graham Allen
Key Concepts in this book:
- Americans have let their country elude them.
- When the community ceased to be the centre of American life, things began to go awry.
- Though diversity is beneficial; homogeneous groupthink is not.
- Many Americans have a misunderstanding of their fundamental rights.
- September 12th's spirit has the potential to save America.
- Americans of all political stripes.
- Anyone interested in US history.
- People intent on preserving free speech and diversity of thought.
September 11th, 2001 will be remembered forever. However, September 12 should not be overlooked. Following the catastrophe, Americans of all ethnicities, political backgrounds, and beliefs put aside their differences and united under one common identity: Americans.
This spirit of patriotism and togetherness has faded away in the last 20 years. Americans have turned on one another in a culture of intolerance, turning from countrymen to adversaries and predicting a bleak future for American democracy.
- You'll learn how TV dinners may have led to the decline of American culture.
- Why division should be cherished rather than condemned.
- And what it means for Americans to regain the spirit of September 11, 2001, in this summary.
1. Americans have let their country elude them.
In the United States, a storm is forming. Dark clouds of dissension engulf the entire country, heralding the oncoming demise of American democracy from sea to shining sea.
The United States is no longer what it used to be. The country is extremely polarized. Patriotism has never been lower. Socialism is gaining traction, with prominent institutions repeating the same radical rhetoric. Facts have morphed into fantasy. Cancellation culture is rife. The Constitution is under attack, and fundamental liberties such as freedom of speech are regularly endangered.
What's the worst of it all? Only a few people are working to get America back on track. It appears that the "country of the free" is no longer the "home of the brave." Millions of individuals, regardless of political affiliation, are left wondering, "How did we get here?" So, what happens next?
The main point is that Americans have allowed their country to drift away from them.
It's simple to point fingers at politicians for leading the country astray, but blaming will not restore America's former glory. This storm has been building for years, and it was not sparked by a single person or political party, contrary to common opinion. Americans have collectively allowed their country to devolve into chaos. It is now up to them to get it back.
Let us take a look back to World War II to discover how far America has gone. Many citizens lied about their age to serve in the military, storm the beaches of Normandy, and die for their nation; many citizens lied about their age to serve in the military, storm the beaches of Normandy, and die for their country. The American people back then believed in something much bigger than themselves. They embraced the national motto, E Pluribus Unum, which means "out of many, one." It was always worth fighting for America because it was great, it was theirs, and it was always worth fighting for.
Now fast forward to today, and America's spirit is in shambles. Indeed, according to a study conducted by the RAND Corporation, more than half of US military soldiers today serve because of the benefits they would receive after they leave. It's not about the objective for them; it's about themselves. So much for patriotism.
Citizens in a bygone America were connected by three essential values: faith, family, and liberty. These pillars have now fallen to the ground. So, in such a little period, how did the faith, family, and freedom descend into me, me, and I? In the next concept, we'll look at that question.
2. When the community ceased to be the centre of American life, things began to go awry.
Mashed potatoes that have been frozen. Unknown meat. Vegetable blocks Gravy in a bag. Very thin plastic film. TV dinners may appear inconspicuous at first glance. But what if you were told that this seemingly benign invention was contributing to the decline of American democracy?
[Pause] Doesn't sound like much of a stretch, does it? Let's take a closer look by peeling down the plastic.
Supper time was a fixture in American households before the frozen meal market exploded in the mid-1950s. Every night, family members sat around the dining room table, said grace, and spoke about their days without being interrupted. Then there were people like Swanson. Families may suddenly prepare supper in five minutes, sit on the couch, put on the TV, and eat without saying anything. Rather than concentrating on one another, individuals began to focus on the voices on their television displays.
The main point is that things went wrong when the community ceased to be the centre of American life.
Americans were increasingly self-serving as the nuclear family broke down. Electric garage doors began to appear in houses across the United States at the same time as TV dinners. Their impact on the community was also negative. Before travelling to work in the morning, folks used to mingle with neighbours in driveways and streets. This collective sociability was put to an end by electric garage doors. You could instantly go to work and back without ever speaking to your neighbours — "We the People" were suddenly only concerned about me, me, and I.
While TV dinners and electric garage doors may appear to be innocuous inventions, they have a significant negative impact on American culture. The foundations of everyday life began to crumble one by one, and a new foundation was erected in its place: one of isolation, selfishness, impatience, and intolerance. Americans began to place a higher value on convenience than on community. They stopped communicating with one another and became engrossed in their own thoughts. As they became more reliant on technology, they began to anticipate instant satisfaction. Constantly seeking comfort and ease. Wanting to live as stress-free a life as possible. They grew ethically unmoored in a world of distraction, substituting "In God, We Trust" for "In God, We Barely Believe."
What do you get when you put all of the stuff together? America faces a bleak future.
3. Though diversity is beneficial; homogeneous groupthink is not.
Of all, TV dinners and automatic garage doors were just the starts of America's cultural decline. Then came social media, which allowed millions of individuals to toss common decency out the window, post offensive beliefs they would never dare to express aloud, and drown themselves in damaging echo chambers for hours at a time.
Soon, a new mindset had emerged: I'm right, you're wrong, and you should shut up. People began to regard the diversity of thinking as undesirable — even dangerous. How dare other people believe differently than me? became the unsaid sentiment.
The difficulty with that is that America has always been divided — which is a wonderful thing.
The main point here is that diversity of opinion is good for you, but homogeneous groupthink isn't.
If you look through a history book, you'll notice that division has always moved America ahead.
The Civil War split America in two in the nineteenth century, eventually leading to the abolition of slavery. The Nineteenth Amendment, which provided women with the right to vote, was ratified in 1920 as a result of diverse thought. Without these two historic events, America would not be what it is today.
In truth, the United States would not exist if it weren't for the diversity of thinking. A group of nonconformists rebelled against English control during the Revolutionary War, paving the way for American democracy. People appear to have conveniently forgotten that the freedoms and manner of life that so many Americans now take for granted are the direct outcome of division.
Division, plain and simple, is at the heart of progress. On the other side, homogeneous thought stifles growth, and conformity comes at a high price. Americans should not attempt to think in unison. They are legally permitted to hold opposing viewpoints, which is not the case in other countries. The civil conversation should be encouraged rather than discouraged. People must respectfully agree to differ in order to restore their country. The division is democratic, not dysfunctional. And free speech applies to everyone, not just those with whom you agree.
Remember that "America the Beautiful" is a place where people have different viewpoints but come together as citizens of the same great nation. That's how we do things in America, and it's the only way ahead.
4. Many Americans have a misunderstanding of their fundamental rights.
In order to recover their country, Americans must also give up the erroneous belief that they will always be happy.
If you read the Declaration of Independence carefully, you'll see that the citizens of the United States have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The words used by the Founding Fathers were carefully chosen. There's a vast distinction between assured happiness and guaranteed happiness seeking.
Pursuit implies that individuals must work to be happy; happiness will not be handed to them on a silver platter.
According to this argument, Americans do not have a natural right to anything. They don't deserve to be wealthy. They don't deserve to live in a house that is bigger and better than their neighbour's. They don't have the right to take pleasure in everything that occurs in their country, from election results to everyday events. They owe nothing to America; it has merely provided them with the opportunity to pursue pleasure.
The main point here is that many Americans misunderstand their basic rights.
America has also provided its citizens with the opportunity to fail. If you look around now, you'll notice that many Americans are afraid of failing. Students are given participation trophies aplenty in schools around the country, and they are incorrectly taught that simply existing qualifies them as a winner. This, too, is poisoning America by instilling a sense of entitlement across the country.
Failure and disappointment are unavoidable parts of life. People cannot blindly wander through life with open hands, hoping for happiness and success to be handed to them. Every American is responsible for his or her own happiness. It is not the responsibility of their neighbour or the government. It's theirs to keep.
"Be all you can be" was the US Army's recruitment slogan for 20 years. "Be all you wish to be," it didn't say. That was done for a reason. A million dollars can be desired by everyone. They may aspire to be the United States' next president. They could even wish to be a unicorn. They can want whatever they want, but they can't have it - and whining won't change that.
These are the teachings that need to be taught in schools to students. To restore America, people must accept reality and understand that no one can be happy at the same time. It'll never happen, and it was never supposed to. Even though they hurt your sentiments, those are the facts at the end of the day.
5. September 12th's spirit has the potential to save America.
One of the darkest days in American history, September 11, 2001, will be remembered forever. But then something extraordinary happened the next day.
On September 12, discrepancies vanished from coast to coast. It didn't matter whether you were liberal or conservative, wealthy or impoverished, gay or straight, Black or white, man or woman, religious or atheist. People found purpose in sorrow, uniting as Americans despite their differences. They were, first and foremost, Americans, and they were standing as one: out of many, one.
The United States has just gone through a tragedy that no one could have predicted. But America was not broken because its people stood united, putting patriotism ahead of minor disputes and vowing to fight for the survival of their magnificent country.
The main point is that the spirit of September 12th may preserve America.
To dispel the black cloud that has descended upon America, its citizens must now live as if it is September 12. The United States of America may have been founded on July 4, 1776. However, September 12, 2001, is a watershed moment in the country's history.
Unfortunately, the passage of time has once again divided Americans. They must now set aside their differences, swallow their pride, and work together to safeguard the area they call home. Petty actions, such as making enemies of people who think differently, suppressing others' opinions, or attempting to prove the supremacy of one political party over another, will not fix the country. Civil conversation, patriotism, and a return to the underlying values that characterize America will fix it.
Americans will always be different, at the end of the day. They'll never agree on anything. But there should be one thing that unites them for the rest of their lives: their identity as citizens of a country worth fighting for. Another tragedy should not be required for Americans to unite. "We the People" have thrown a storm over their own country; now is the time to band together and restore America.
This summary's main message is that America will always be worth fighting for. To overcome the discomfort that has descended upon the United States, citizens must put aside their differences and unite under the most important label: American.
Here's some additional advice that you can put into practice:
Stop scrolling through your social media feeds.
Not only can social media frequently serve as a battleground for minor squabbles, but it may also generate discontent. In fact, according to research conducted by Brown University, the more time people spent on Facebook, the worse they felt. So turn off your computer and go outside - it could be beneficial to your mental health.
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