Saturday, February 09, 2019
Archetypal Essence and the Stories that Guide Nations
The United States has thus far not been “transformed” into a socialist country. God knows they’ve tried and occasionally appear to be on the verge of making it so, but sanity seems to always return when we can least expect it.
Like individuals, each culture on the planet has its own mythology and quirks of behavior. Each has a story, and it’s political proclivities are typically an extension of that story. I often wonder how much an ill-defined innate essence dictates the behavior and destiny of a nation as opposed to mere objective aspects.
Things change in the life of nations but is America’s expansive enterprise, individuality, and dynamism that far removed from the spirited independence of its founders?
America has often been critiqued as being a “cowboy” - simplistic, a bit course, independent, and unsophisticated but somewhat philosophical (more Mark Twain than Sartre). Americans — in a caricature sort of way — are more comfortable telling jokes and speaking of their dreams around a campfire than plotting the next revolution from a coffee shop. ‘Certainly not to suggest that a wide variety of personalities do not exist within the U.S. but, even among such variety of opinion and manner, a common thread seems to continually emerge.
With all the talk of “diversity” that leftland perpetually notes — while assuming that all diverse cultures and lifestyles should magically hold the same political views — American character continues to be driven by a notable independence. Many Americans would no doubt jump at the opportunity to benefit from the next government “freebie” and may even on occasion play along with Jacobin bromides about “group solidarity” but, in the end, “leave me the fuck alone” probably captures the spirit of most Americans’ worldview and does so far beyond mere mundane variations in class or skin color.
I really enjoy watching the people of diverse persuasions in the “Walk-away” movement express their views on YouTube. I think Jefferson and Adams et al. would be proud to see so many adhering so closely to the hopes set forward in the initial designs of America.
While the Marxist / socialist worldview has certainly gained traction after a steady diet fed to the public from education and media, I wonder if it really has a chance of ever sticking. It usually doesn’t take much to sway a sober American back into sanity when confronted with the reality of what collectivism really means to one’s daily pursuit of happiness.
American’s are truly diverse — and much more so than most cultures, in spite of what we are told by our intellectual betters — but revolutions for some collectivist abstraction will likely never gain a foothold over the simple and somewhat course but independent desire to be “left the fuck alone.”
