Which
led me to consider this question…recognizing the virtually non-stop attention
print and electronic media have devoted to this presidential election’s focus
on what constitutes the state of “American Exceptionalism,” [i]
I have to wonder, why are the Democratic and Republican candidates hammering
the voters with the question: what makes America great? They offer two competing
messages:
·
America
once was great and is no longer
·
America is
great because America is good
My Irish mother would have
described both assertions as the intellectual equivalent of “two bald men
fighting over a comb.” Really? Why is this
the most important issue of the presidential campaign? Why aren’t we talking about rescuing children from poverty and ensuring
that teenagers will find middle class jobs when they enter the workforce? These are the issues that concern the
community of La Salle – and, in fact, ought
to concern every individual of voting age.
Lasallian
values start with the rights of the
child. For over three hundred years, we have always understood that success –
later in life – is inseparable from a quality education. So, given the fact
that this generation of children will, for the first time since the Great
Depression, face an economic future that will be less secure than their
parents, I continue to ask myself, why isn’t
education the front and center issue of this presidential election?
There
are all sorts of facile answers to this question – not the least of which is
the complicity of the media in orchestrating crowd-pleasing questions (as I
write this, I am watching the third and final debate between the two
candidates, and the first two questions
were on the Second Amendment and Abortion – really??). While I recognize that the political world
requires politicians to focus on “hot button” issues such as gun control and
right-to-life topics, I don’t understand why the electorate allows them to
evade more pressing concerns which need to be addressed now in order to ensure that the next generation of voters enjoys
economic security.
Which
brings me back to the tired conundrum of “American Exceptionalism.” Australian
expert on American History, Professor Ian Tyrell, author of “American Exceptionalism in an Age of
International History” defines the term this way:
American exceptionalism
contains a complicated and often contradictory set of assumptions…In its
classic forms, American exceptionalism refers to the special character of the
United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal
liberty…Many aspects of American history may be left out or distorted in the
traditional narratives…
While most voters would wonder why this concept is important in
understanding the issues being debated in this presidential election, the
reality of American Exceptionalism is rooted in the candidates’ belief that their
ability to secure votes is inextricably linked to the widespread perception
that somehow, America as a great nation is in trouble. Any La Salle student who
completed our Advanced Placement course in Civics would giggle at this notion
of American greatness. They have learned that America’s place in the world
isn’t so much about being “great” as it is about being attentive to the needs
of the voters who elect their leadership every four years. This is what is
distinctive about the American democratic experiment: the peaceful transition
of power continues unabated – even in this most contentious of presidential
elections. Which brings me back to, what I believe, is the central –
unaddressed – issue of the campaign: how to ensure economic security for today’s
teens?
The eve of the next
peaceful transition of power is upon us. It may not result in an outcome that
some portion of the voters will celebrate. That having been said, I know that,
at La Salle, my colleagues and I are committed to the task of ensuring that the
students entrusted to our care learn how to interpret political messages
through the (American) lens of social justice: focusing on the marginalized and
abandoned and searching for economic security for everyone. They don’t need to
know how the Dodgers (inexplicably) get to the World Series, but they do need
to know why their vote matters.
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