The Disconnect From Civic Life

This week's New Republic has an article by Lawrence Kaplan that I found both depressing and inspiring. He contrasts the continued lack of engagement by Americans in civic life after 9/11 with the increased civic activity noted during previous times of national peril:

"Civic attachments, a sense of shared purpose, a propensity to sacrifice for the common good--if historical precedent offers any guide, all of these should have been renewed in the aftermath of September 11. As Harvard's Theda Skocpol noted in her 2001 study, "Patriotic Partnerships: Why Great Wars Nourished American Civil Voluntarism," "America's civic vigor was greatly enhanced, both following the national fratricide of the 1860s and amidst the plunge into global conflict between 1917 and 1919." The pattern held during World War II and the cold war, conflicts that boosted everything from membership in voluntary associations to the fortunes of the civil rights movement. And, yet, not only has everything not changed since September 11; nothing has. According to a mountain of attitudinal and behavioral data collected in the past four years, the post- September 11 mood that former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge dubbed "the new normalcy" resembles nothing so much as the old normalcy."

Some of the blame is laid at the feet of the Bush Administration, for not calling our countrymen to shared sacrifice.

"The circumstances that required mass mobilization during World War II are, of course, not the circumstances the United States confronts today. In Bush's telling, however, the war on terrorism requires something closer to mass demobilization. "Get on board," he urged in the immediate aftermath of September 11. "Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life." As for sacrifice, the president elaborated, "I think the American people are sacrificing now. I think they're waiting in airport lines longer than they've ever had before." Nor, in the ensuing four years, has Bush asked ordinary Americans to sacrifice much of anything else."

But a lot of it is blamed on the general state of our society.

"Those who most enjoy the benefits and freedoms of this country now serve it the least. There is a very simple reason for this: With the coming of an all-volunteer military in 1973--applauded at the time as a gesture of heightened moral awareness--the definition of American citizenship narrowed to the point of excluding the obligation to defend one's country. Aside from the 1.4 million men and women in the Armed Forces, their families, and members of law enforcement, virtually no one participates in today's effort."

I would encourage everyone to read the entire article. Perhaps now, when 53% of Americans say our country is headed in the wrong direction, we may begin a serious national discussion on how to turn things around.

We need a great leader who will call us all to greatness and unity. I hope someone worthy will step into the job in the next few years.