The Necessity of a Cultural Divide

The original motto of the USA and its’ replacement 180 years later offers an interesting glimpse into the cultural divide that exists in the 21^st century.  “E Pluribus Unum” – Out of many, One!  This was the original motto of the US.  It was never officially adopted but appeared on the Great Seal of the USA.    In fact, it still appears on the Great Seal. 

For nearly two centuries it served as a reminder that our nation rose out of many different peoples from all over the world.  Some of us were born here before the first Europeans arrived.  Some of us came in search of a new life.  Some were brought here in the chains of slavery.  Others came here as refugees fleeing persecution; religious, cultural, and political.  Some came to be with family who has already found a new home. 

“E Pluribus Unum” – Out of many, One!  It served us well until the 1950’s when we became frightened by our own diversity.  At the end of WWII, our under-current of Anglo Saxon superiority began to be challenged by changes.  Jim Crow had held firm against the cultural strongholds of racism until July 26, 1948 when President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the U. S, Military regardless of race.   The march toward civil rights had gained a tenuous toehold in the American Culture.  This along with women beginning to use the right to vote that they had won four decades before as well as the increase in non-European immigration following the war made the ruling caste of white males very nervous.  Many felt that they had personally defeated Japanese, German, and Italian Dictators and therefore had earned the right to govern not only the government but all segments of society. 

Internationally, tensions between the former allies in WWII, namely the USSR, began to grow.  A junior Senator from Wisconsin capitalized on the growing fear and began a high-profile campaign to root out the Communists in our government.  The stalemate in Korea when the Chinese joined in pushed our country past fear and into sheer terror of those who were not like us. 

In 1956, the U. S. Congress adopted the first “Official” motto, “In God We Trust.”   The Words “under God” were also added to the Pledge to the flag.  The words were added to all currency of the US in 1957.  It was a way of distinguishing the U. S. from it’s greatest enemy that supported state atheism.  It was promoted as a way of gaining God’s favor in protecting us from the changing world of ideas and people in the United states.  Until the 1950’s Socialism was an accepted political orientation that included people like Helen Keller, W.E.B. Dubois, and Upton Sinclair.  But it became the tar that led to the casting out of anyone who did not support the policies and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon, male ruling class.  Diversity was no longer tolerated.

We have been fighting this diversity/anti-diversity war for the last 70 years.  Every step toward acceptance and tolerance has had a strong backlash.  In fact, the recent history of our nation is a catalogue of this on-going cultural divide.  The Civil Rights and Feminist Movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s were met with the anti-diversity response of the Reagan Years in the 1980’s. 

The growing resistance to discrimination against LGBTQ and the rebirth of the Women’s Movement in the 1990’s saw a corresponding backlash that was fueled by the paranoia that grew out of 9/11.   The election of Barak Obama declared that a diverse population would be heard at the ballot box.  To which the Tea Party and other 1950’s John Birch Society members came together, looking toward 2016.  The Black Live’s Matter Movement, and the move toward LGBTQ rights developed their resolve even more. And with the nomination of a woman, the latest round of an anti-diversity movement culminated in the election of the 45^th President of the United States.  The battle continues as everyone is now gearing up for 2018 and 2020.

Our divisions are the result of an historical pattern of disagreement in both political and cultural goals.  The more closely we examine these two facets of American life, the more divided we appear.  But, if we will take the time to pan out a bit we can see much more that unifies us.  Both of these perspectives are vital to our way of life.

Why are the divisions so important?  As a wise friend on FB noted, unity without diversity is mere uniformity.  Such uniformity is a playground for evil.  Most old ideas and the status quo go unchallenged.  As ideas and “commonsense’ slowly evolves over time, changes occur without any resistance.  In fact, the highest value becomes protecting what we have “always done” whether we have “always done” it or not.

Likewise, diversity without unity creates a playground for chaos.  Shared identity is lost, and we become a tribal cultural engaged in constant cultural wars.  We divide and divide until our fragmented society completely collapses. 

A unity that grows out of our diversity helps us to discover that which is most important to all of us.  It demands a consensus that is built on what we share.  Our unity becomes a hard-won fact of our national life.  It demands a diversity of voices to keep it fresh and alive and growing.

The men and women who believed in “E Pluribus Unum” recognized that our republic operates by the consent of the governed.  If there is no consent among the governed, no sense of unity among “We the people…” there can be no consent by those who govern.  We cannot blame our lack of unity on those who sit in Washington.  Until “We the People…” sit down and do the hard work of building a consensus with our neighbors on what unifies us, we shall continue to live at the mercy of the twin playground bullies, chaos and evil.

Start a cultural dialogue on what unites us?  Let start by identifying those parts of our life together that are most important to us and our nation.  Then let us build on those seeds and rebuild a nation of which it can truly be said, “E Pluribus, Unum!”