Editorials relating to Indpendence Day
Two editorials in the paper today both thinking about the US National Character in the context of Independence Day.
Legacy of Revolution, by Robert Finch, contrasts the founding of the US with the founding of Canada and whether revolution is still shaping our world view. I liked the way he began:
"MY EX-FATHER-IN-LAW is the only true conservative I’ve ever met. Why? Because he believes that the American Revolution was a mistake. That is, as a true believer in law and order, he abhors unlawful violence of any kind, even that used to overthrow unjust and oppressive governments."
His main idea is that the revolution has given the US a large "chip" on the shoulder attitude: "This chip has taken the form of a need to justify our violent origins by believing, with a quasi-religious fervor, that we represent the world’s “last best hope.’’ That is, we have taken the Puritan Fathers’ vision of their New World settlement as a “City on the Hill’’ and transferred it to the Founding Fathers’ vision of America as a Light to the World, the Beacon of Democracy."
Happy Dependence Day, by Ellen Goodman is primarily looking at the way in which we don't deal with the dependence of old age: "About 34 million Americans provide at least some of the care for frail, aging family members and yet we don’t see it as a normal, predictable part of the life cycle."
One specific that Goodman addresses is that recently in Massachusetts there have been a number of accidents involving older drivers which has led to a call for new legislation regarding regular testing of that age group. But as Goodman notes this kind of solution seems symptomatic of a kind of wrong-headed approach we take by not acknowledging dependence or interdependece:
"Somewhere along the way we have to acknowledge that there are worse things than being dependent. And somewhere we have to wonder why we turn to legislation when we need conversation. Looking to the state to take the keys from dad is rather like outsourcing our children’s sex education to the schools because we are too tongue-tied to talk about sex at home."
Frederick Douglas's Independence Day Speech
Another editorial today had an uplifting account of a reading of "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" especially in light of Boston's most recent history during the anti-school-busing movement.
The author goes on to talk about the importance of reciting the speech today in the context of Barak Obama's election--not because his election signals some "post-racial era" but an opportunity to talk about race more openly.
The time to talk about racial divide