Do your civic duty and argue with a friend
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 7/1/12
A few years ago, a friend gave me a book that forever changed my view of America. The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman, makes a great case for the central role of argument in American politics and culture. I spent my young adult years in New York where my friends and I always enjoyed a good ruckus over current events and politics. Coloradans, however, often seem to seek congeniality at the expense of a good debate, and we need to cut that out. This year, we have a plateful of important issues that we need to resolve and I suspect that we will make better decisions by engaging our friends in conversation than by relying on the wisdom of, say, television commercials.
Why do Americans need to argue? The Thirteen American Arguments argues that Americans need to spend more time resolving differences than other cultures. The reason is simple – America is a land of immigrants and their decedents who came, and still come, from all over the world bringing different views about individual behavior, responsibility, and the role of institutions in society. Furthermore, someone who gets on a boat and crosses an ocean to live in a strange land is prone to neither conformity nor silence. Rather, they’re the kind of person who will start telling others how to make America better based on their history, culture, and ideas. So, Americans are always having to resolve these differences at every level of society and government, and on the backs of these arguments we have built a great nation.
The Thirteen American Arguments goes further by saying that it’s not just that we need to argue, but that there are thirteen specific arguments that Americans keep having over and over. We never really resolve these issues since their context keeps changing as the world keeps turning, so the arguments must continue. Take Fineman’s first American argument – “Who is a Person?” Throughout American history we’ve debated how much personhood status to grant to male landowners, slaves, and women. Today, how about unborn children or corporations?
The other dozen persistent arguments that are part of America’s DNA are also central to American political debate today. For example, we continue to argue about “War and diplomacy” – America’s role in the world. Do we avoid foreign entanglements or engage? Was engaging in Iraq a good idea or should we keep our nose out of other peoples’ business as we are now doing with Syria?
How about the argument that Fineman refers to as “the limits of individualism?” Thanks to the libertarian gusts from Republicans encountering the prevailing populist winds from Democrats, there is no bigger argument the nation faces this November than how much individual freedom Americans are willing to forego in order to empower the government with more responsibility for our wellbeing. This argument thrives at all levels of government, like whether Boulder City and County should tell us how big our homes can be.
Maybe best of all, these arguments don’t align with political parties since the parties routinely change “sides.” Take the argument about “War and diplomacy.” In the mid-20thcentury, Democrats were constantly drawing America into foreign wars. Today, Republicans seem more inclined to do so. In the end, political parties, like many of us, change their views as history unfolds and circumstances require.
So, Boulder, quit whining about how “corporations and unions are buying elections and all the television ads are lies and blah, blah, blah…” This November, we have lots of important decisions to make, and everyone needs to do their bit. Go find a friend who has a slightly different view of the world than you and have a good old fashioned debate about a political hot potato. All it takes is a bit of conviction, a modicum of mutual respect, a mound of open-mindedness (to enhance flavor), and, above all, a ton of humility. It’s even okay to get a little worked up as long as you remember that it’s not your superior wisdom that will lead America down the path of enlightenment, it’s your willingness to put yourself out there and engage in the civic debate. Boulder, the State of Colorado, and the United States of America are counting on you to do just that.
As to my friend who gave me the book, he’s a Democrat who lives in Maryland and there is nothing I enjoy more than getting him on the phone. We always have lots to discuss.
[email protected]
You can see the list of all Thirteen American Arguments at www.bikeandsail.net
A few years ago, a friend gave me a book that forever changed my view of America. The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman, makes a great case for the central role of argument in American politics and culture. I spent my young adult years in New York where my friends and I always enjoyed a good ruckus over current events and politics. Coloradans, however, often seem to seek congeniality at the expense of a good debate, and we need to cut that out. This year, we have a plateful of important issues that we need to resolve and I suspect that we will make better decisions by engaging our friends in conversation than by relying on the wisdom of, say, television commercials.
Why do Americans need to argue? The Thirteen American Arguments argues that Americans need to spend more time resolving differences than other cultures. The reason is simple – America is a land of immigrants and their decedents who came, and still come, from all over the world bringing different views about individual behavior, responsibility, and the role of institutions in society. Furthermore, someone who gets on a boat and crosses an ocean to live in a strange land is prone to neither conformity nor silence. Rather, they’re the kind of person who will start telling others how to make America better based on their history, culture, and ideas. So, Americans are always having to resolve these differences at every level of society and government, and on the backs of these arguments we have built a great nation.
The Thirteen American Arguments goes further by saying that it’s not just that we need to argue, but that there are thirteen specific arguments that Americans keep having over and over. We never really resolve these issues since their context keeps changing as the world keeps turning, so the arguments must continue. Take Fineman’s first American argument – “Who is a Person?” Throughout American history we’ve debated how much personhood status to grant to male landowners, slaves, and women. Today, how about unborn children or corporations?
The other dozen persistent arguments that are part of America’s DNA are also central to American political debate today. For example, we continue to argue about “War and diplomacy” – America’s role in the world. Do we avoid foreign entanglements or engage? Was engaging in Iraq a good idea or should we keep our nose out of other peoples’ business as we are now doing with Syria?
How about the argument that Fineman refers to as “the limits of individualism?” Thanks to the libertarian gusts from Republicans encountering the prevailing populist winds from Democrats, there is no bigger argument the nation faces this November than how much individual freedom Americans are willing to forego in order to empower the government with more responsibility for our wellbeing. This argument thrives at all levels of government, like whether Boulder City and County should tell us how big our homes can be.
Maybe best of all, these arguments don’t align with political parties since the parties routinely change “sides.” Take the argument about “War and diplomacy.” In the mid-20thcentury, Democrats were constantly drawing America into foreign wars. Today, Republicans seem more inclined to do so. In the end, political parties, like many of us, change their views as history unfolds and circumstances require.
So, Boulder, quit whining about how “corporations and unions are buying elections and all the television ads are lies and blah, blah, blah…” This November, we have lots of important decisions to make, and everyone needs to do their bit. Go find a friend who has a slightly different view of the world than you and have a good old fashioned debate about a political hot potato. All it takes is a bit of conviction, a modicum of mutual respect, a mound of open-mindedness (to enhance flavor), and, above all, a ton of humility. It’s even okay to get a little worked up as long as you remember that it’s not your superior wisdom that will lead America down the path of enlightenment, it’s your willingness to put yourself out there and engage in the civic debate. Boulder, the State of Colorado, and the United States of America are counting on you to do just that.
As to my friend who gave me the book, he’s a Democrat who lives in Maryland and there is nothing I enjoy more than getting him on the phone. We always have lots to discuss.
[email protected]
You can see the list of all Thirteen American Arguments at www.bikeandsail.net
