The following is presented as part of The Columbian’s Opinion content, which offers a point of view in order to provoke thought and debate of civic issues. Opinions represent the viewpoint of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus opinion of The Columbian’s editorial board, which operates independently of the news department.
It was a quick, simple, mundane task. But being an introspective, philosophical, insightful amateur sociologist, there was deep meaning to be found.
Plus, I was in need of a column idea. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention; what they don’t tell you is that having a column due is the mother of all necessity.
So there I was the other day, with a new school year underway, working with my fifth-grader as a crossing guard in the parking lot of his school. Nothing too difficult; you wave the cars forward or signal for them to stop and allow pedestrians to cross. And, in reaching the pinnacle of success for crossing guards everywhere, we managed to do this for a half-hour without a single pedestrian being hit by a car. Hey, we know what we’re doing.
Anyway, as we dutifully prevented tragedy, it struck me that a sense of community can be built even from seemingly humdrum tasks. That a quick smile and an exchange of greetings with students and parents who have a shared purpose — delivering our kids to school — can be meaningful.
OK, OK, I’m reading too much into this. But it is remarkable to reflect upon how quickly this country has lost its sense of community and how that loss informs modern politics.
There have been many treatises about this phenomenon. As far back as 1995, Harvard political scientist Robert D. Putnam wrote, “The U.S. once had an enviable society, but over the last two or three decades this civic society has shrunk … The norms and networks of civic engagement also powerfully affect the performance of representative government.” Translation: We are less civically engaged, and we are suffering for it.
Putnam wrote that in an essay called “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital.” He later expanded it into a book. The premise was that at the time bowling participation was high, but fewer and fewer people were joining bowling leagues. We are more content to remain within a tight, exclusive social and political circle — and that impacts how we interact in all social realms.
Interestingly, Putnam detailed his observations before the advent of the internet and smartphones and social media. And it doesn’t take a Harvard professor to figure out that these “advancements” have exacerbated our isolation — even as we become more connected than ever before.
One of the results has been a decline in membership among social organizations. Be it through churches or fraternal organizations or even labor unions, Americans once were much more engaged with their neighbors. As John M. Hinck of the University of San Diego noted last year: “Once considered the schools of democracy and cornerstones for advancing society, many of the 100,800 fraternal organizations in the U.S. have experienced a decline in participation over the past 60 years and their perceived relevance in contemporary society questioned.”
There is nothing unique about this analysis. And still we retreat into social and political silos that undermine our nation.
For a 2014 column, I wrote: “Consider this finding from Pew (Research): 27 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Republicans say positions taken by the other party are a ‘threat to the nation’s well-being.’ Seriously. Many of us are so insulated in our ideological beliefs that we fear the other side is actually a danger to the country.” It seemed difficult to comprehend back then; it seems impossible to deny during the Era of Trump.
Oh, Donald Trump is not the disease; he is merely a symptom. Hopefully, he will be its end.
Because American society cannot continue to function in a fractured state. There once was a shared purpose that led us to forge a community and work for the common good and build bridges — literally. Now there is isolated self-interest. As Putnam wrote: “High on America’s agenda should be the question of how to reverse these trends in social connectedness, thus restoring civic engagement and trust.”
Who knows? Helping kids avoid cars might be one small step in that direction.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
