Beyond Tribalism: Renewing the American Ideal

Abstract

Not since the U.S. Civil War has American society been more divided regarding social, economic, political, religious, and especially cultural issues. It is as if America's very self-identity has become problematic. How does the cultural morass and the promotion of “cancel culture” and unlimited individual subjectivity relate to the original American Founders’ vision articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? By the twenty-first century, the U.S. reflects the moral corrosion of a popular culture with its secular leftist bent and antiChristian bias. U.S. society is undergoing re-tribalization due to “affirmative action” and the un-American emphasis on race, ethnicity, and gender. It is causing rampant gender and identity confusion, especially among the nation’s youth already stressed by online shaming rituals via social media. Official government and educational bureaucracies promote toxic cultural mandates, invoking “anti-discrimination” laws and the mantra, “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” intensifying the culture wars and divisive identity politics. The essay concludes with a vision to renew the American ideal of “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”