“Da Island Guy”
Sounding Off Social
It was one of the hottest stories in sports and media circles at the Olympics. The women gymnasts led by Simone Biles took home the team gold. It was a kinda redemption story after winning silver in Tokyo. There’s even been some after-effect with the drama around Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal. But in between that, was the Adidas brand’s new ad campaign that stirred-up bad memories from the 1972 Munich Olympics where members of the Israeli delegation were killed. The ad featured runway model Bella Hadid who is of Palestinian descent. She issued a statement condemning violence and apologized for being caught-up in this unfortunate promo.
That was some of the talk in pop culture, but there were other stories where the sense was things were feeling ‘hot hot hot.’ This past July has gone down as the hottest day on record, both literally and figuratively. It was reported by European Climate Services that global earth temperature, based on the averages of land and sea, hit a new high. On a Sunday in July a new record was set, then broken the next day.
Now, when it comes to the presidential campaign, the recent earth-shattering announcement and events during this Convention season left many folks stunned. A different candidate at the top of the ticket has brought new life politically and buzz socially. With this series of stories dominating news coverage, it leaves open the chance that we can have the summer of 2024 mirror the summer of 1787. Back then, the founders met to take initial steps of crafting a roadmap that would be tied to perfecting the nation.
Meanwhile, it feels like this might be the hottest convention season of modern times. Since the days of our founding and the journey of our making, we’ve had moments of crisis and crossroads, where we had to guard democracy, affirm the republic and save the union. On those occasions, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln left us with examples that were as meaningful then as they are now. You might remember these from:
- Washington’s declaration in his farewell speech to watch-out for political factions and despotic leaders that might wanna veer from the founding ideals.
- Franklin’s warning at the end of the Constitutional Convention that “we have a republic, if we can keep it”.
- Lincoln’s courage during the civil war of issuing the Emancipation Proclamation to save the union.
In the current climate we can build on their example while taking a page from business circles. There’s this idea called SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) that’s used as a strategy for staying on the cutting edge in the marketplace. Well, in civic & social issues we might use that mindset to rally around a gameplan to get us through the election season and the make-or-break times in America’s story. One thing we might do is make ‘civics as the star’ by how we walk in the shoes of history. We the people can engage a Civics Convention as an updated template of what the founders had in mind. This’ll help set the stage as folks consider the:
1. Choice
It seems some are bored/mad with the founders’ design on things, in wanting a ‘divorce’ from democracy towards a Christian Nationalist image. That’s one track being offered for America. The other track builds on the founding ideals in a more inclusive way. It’s like SAIC’s model of social/civic reinvention, which mirrors the shift from ‘black & white TV’ to ‘color TV’. It’s a more inclusive framework that’s not just about projecting ‘white light’ but combines elements of ‘colored light’ through American history, the ‘Black to America’ story and #HometownStrong comebacks. This mirrors who we are and want to be as a nation.
2. Course
As the founders met in the summer of 1787, their efforts charted a course for the new nation. The guiding purpose has always been about perfecting the union. What might that look like in the 21st century? When World War II ended, the NATO alliance was formed to bolster solidarity and synergy of European nations around democracy. We need a similar strategy now to foster synergy and solidarity on making ‘civics as the star’. During the Harlem Renaissance, Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that “intellect and artistic production could help overcome prejudice”. A public/private alliance having a similar role is needed today.
3. Courage
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves during the Civil War. The push for freedom by abolitionists was heard in social and political circles. But there was the dilemma of blacks joining the Union Army without further inflaming border states that hadn’t yet joined the Confederacy. The courage it took to form the union in 1776 and to save the union in 1865, might be understood in words from Thomas Jefferson: “Whenever the people are informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” A public/private alliance and informed nation gives rise to more courage, less distrust.
4. Common Good
You’ve heard SAIC’s message before that “civics is to country as hygiene is to humanity. Without it things can get funky”. There’s no law to manage hygiene, it’s just something we do as self-care during life’s ins & outs, and as a common good for human interactions. That’s what this public/private alliance would mean in terms of nation-care. The founders gave us a roadmap for working and growing as a nation. It’s been updated over the years to better reflect the times. But it’s important to not lose sight of the common good so that social/civic interactions don’t devolve into a situation where things get funky.
Party Conventions have become a way to make ‘politics as the star’. But back in the day when parties didn’t exist, the founders were about making ‘civics as the star’. In a few months we’ll be choosing the direction for our country, which will drive the course we take. With that in mind, noted philosopher Reinold Niebuhr one said, “man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” We gotta have the courage to guard democracy, affirm the republic and save the union. To continue as a beacon of hope, land of the free, home of the brave, we gotta be on the worthy side of history. So, let’s meet the moment of America’s great expectations.
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Tracks: Pharrell Williams – Freedom – https://youtu.be/LlY90lG_Fuw?si=60X3tOqB4FVISmYc
Sara Bareilles – Brave – https://youtu.be/QUQsqBqxoR4?si=Bqs0TenSajKxVaab
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