Americans have lost the willingness and the ability to share a common national identity

[Zorro]

We no longer share a narrative. We no longer have a common thread.

We don’t need more unity.

Apologies to Sean Penn, who last week made an earnest case for that virtue in an appearance with — of all people — Sean Hannity on Fox “News.” The actor was discussing “what I experienced emotionally” in Ukraine, where he had been filming a documentary when Russia invaded.

“We all talk about how divided things are here,” he said, “but when you step into a country of such incredible unity, you realize what we’ve all been missing.”

It’s a seductive argument. Penn is hardly alone in sensing that something important has gone missing from America. And when you consider the besieged people of Ukraine, all pulling together, striking as a single fist against a common foe, it’s natural to identify the missing thing as unity.

But what we are seeing in Ukraine is the predictable byproduct of an immediate existential threat. Take away the threat and the unity will go with it. This is not to demean the stubborn, inspiring heroism of the Ukrainian people. It is only to say that it reflects the exigency of the crisis — not some essential nobility of character that this country lacks. If you doubt that, recall how unified Americans were after Sept. 11 and Dec. 7. Then recall how quickly we returned to our bickersome ways.

So, the view from this pew is that what has gone missing from this country is not some idealized unity. Rather, it is something more profound. We no longer share a narrative. We no longer have a common thread.

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2022/04/10/americans-have-lost-the-willingness-and-the-ability-to-share-a-common-national-identity-column/

We no longer share a common reality.

[PortTack]

1. For now and yes it's sad...hopefully it won't always be this way

[Turbineguy]

2. For what it's worth

I was in Costco and had a conversation with a random stranger in line. It turned out we both like brussel sprouts.

Yeah, it wasn't very deep, but we did have that much in common that we know about.

[KT2000]

3. We no longer share

basic manners - as in consideration of others.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Our lives were ruled by entities larger than ourselves

Family church, stable employer, coherent news media, parties with principles.

Now it's everyman for himself scrapping for every dollar he can get because everyone else is doing the same thing.

[Baked Potato]

5. T***p stokes and nurtures division and fighting. He loves it.

He was and apparently still is the absolute perfect stooge for just about any entity which wants to destroy America.

T***p surrounds himself with conflict. He enjoys pitting people against each other, especially if they were at least tolerable to each other before.

He did the same to the whole country.

And now America is damaged, but not beyond repair. There must be accountability and equal justice. America can’t “War” itself back to unity this time.

There must be a real sense of national equality as a base to grow unity.