No one will argue that Sept. 11, 2001, wasn’t the worst day the United States has endured this century—an unspeakable tragedy that brought out an incredible amount of raw emotion, with images and memories forever burned into our brains.
The next day, it was like we were living in a different country. The outpouring of patriotism was off the charts, with more flags than you’d see on the Fourth of July, while people wore red, white, and blue ribbons. Emotions were still running high, but there was a sense of unity that had been missing for years. By the end of the week, a joint session of Congress made it look like we were living up to the “united” part of the United States of America, with politicians working across the aisle.
Twenty-two years later, all that togetherness is forgotten, leaving a country completely polarized. The “aisle” in Congress no longer exists, having become an impenetrable wall. And now, the wall being constructed by elites is one between conservatives and liberals in every neighborhood.
Does it take an attack, some horrific tragedy, a natural disaster, or extreme conditions to bring people together?
Apparently, it does.
The answer reminds me of a conversation I had with my late mother years ago. I had taken her to see the movie “Pearl Harbor” and noted her face lit up during a scene with a big band and swing dancing. After the movie, she said something I didn’t expect:
“Those were the best times in this country.”
To me, that made little sense.
“The best times were during World War II?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Everyone pulled together,“ she said. ”We were all fighting the same enemy. We lost a lot of good people, but we had to remain a free country. If you needed help, someone would help. People were closer than they are today.”
She talked about gas rationing, how getting a pair of nylons was a rare gift, and how women went to work with so many men off to war. The iconic image of Rosie the Riveter kicked off a revelation that women were just as capable as men in the workforce.
My mom was born 100 years ago, in 1923. Imagine going through the Great Depression as a child and then, a few years later, dealing with wars against Germany and Japan. Those people learned how to deal without, how to help one another, and how it was almost a sin to waste anything. Many of that generation had a bit of packrat in them after those events, rarely throwing anything out because it might be useful in the future. The Depression-era people knew what it was like for people to have nothing but the shirts on their backs.
“Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”
I can only imagine what my mom would think about the state of America today, with people more concerned about pronouns, gender, and bathrooms than a good economy, while men are allowed to destroy women’s sports. And where people are offended by everything, including the American flag.
So what will it take to get back to the unity of Sept. 12, 2001, without waiting for some cataclysmic event?
It starts with not believing the media’s narrative that we’re all so divided.
While Congress refuses to reach across the aisle, we can reach across the street. The media tends to cover the fringes of both political parties because the extremists are “good copy.” But they aren’t representative of the average American.
Just because your neighbors have a yard sign supporting someone you don’t like doesn’t mean they aren’t nice people. The Republican next door isn’t going to Klan meetings every weekend while wearing a swastika, and the Democrat across the road doesn’t loot department stores and throw bricks at police officers.
However, the media would have you believe that it’s your civic duty to shun these people who think differently than you do. Try meeting the people you think are different ... you might find that you have a lot in common.
The bottom line that is the average American wants the same thing. Republicans and Democrats want safe neighborhoods, the best schools, a good economy, and an achievable American dream.
The problem is that those Democrats who are probably nice people have been bombarded every day with a narrative that paints Republicans as minions of the devil. When 90 percent of the media refers to conservatives as Nazis, racists, white supremacists, rednecks, and idiots every single day, it makes an impression. And makes it hard to change minds.
It’s time to ignore those who basically hate half the country. Turn off the channel, leave social media, and form your own opinion.
“Divide and conquer” has been an effective strategy going back more than 2,000 years, to the time of Julius Caesar. And that concept is being used today by the elites, who want to conquer us and have total control over the way we think. Unfortunately, it’s working.
We can only become divided if we allow it. Hopefully, it won’t take some devastating event to unite us again.
But what’s different about the World War II era is that people remained united after the war was over. They apparently realized great things can be accomplished when everyone works together. If only people like my mom were around today to be in charge.
