When I attended high school in the middle of the last century, civics education was a key part of the curriculum, focusing on patriotism and personal citizenship. I have to say, we were beyond bored in civics class, forced to read dry, dull textbooks written by faceless committees. The teaching style was just as poor, relying on rote memorization with grades based on one’s ability to parrot back names and dates.
Nevertheless, some of it stuck — not the tedium and rigmarole but the transmission of American ideals: principles of liberty and equality, emphasizing that power flows upward from us, the people, not downward from a king.
That’s why my generation felt so excited when John F. Kennedy was elected president: he embodied a revival of America’s ideals after the suffocating paranoia and realpolitik of the Cold War that consumed our nation following World War II. We were inspired by JFK’s challenge, which seemed to be aimed directly at us.: Ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
Standing up for the ideals that made us Americans – which we learned in civics – helped motivate us to oppose the Vietnam boondoggle. Of course, a more compelling reason was the mandatory draft for men, which meant if you were chosen, you had to enlist and perhaps die for a cause you didn’t believe in.
Although no longer a requirement, I believe a civics education is essential, as long as it’s not taught through indoctrination and outdated textbooks, but through original source material and creative works like Ken Burns’ recent 12-part documentary on the Revolutionary War. I bring this up because it’s clear to me that being a good citizen in a democracy is not something you are born with.
That may sound strange coming from me because it is most often a conservative talking point. I feel my point of view was forged by the age I grew up in, born in 1945 as part of the first post-WW II generation. We were the last generation to experience the benefits of close-knit communities before mass migration to the suburbs began. We were also among the last to be taught civics in school.
Another reason for greater unity in those days was that we all got just about the same news, broadcast nightly on one of three national networks. Walter Cronkite, the news anchor on CBS, the most popular, always signed off each evening with the iconic phrase, “And that’s the way it is.” In the more homogeneous age we lived in, we took that as a factual statement about what was happening in the world, to the extent that he was voted “the most trusted man in America.”
While it is true that we rebelled against the repressive 1950s, we maintained respect for community values because we were the last generation to understand their benefits before they began to fracture with the rise of mass media, especially with the advent of the internet, smartphones and social media.
By no means am I a MAGA fan itching for a return to the repressive 1950s. What I want to see are those cherished American ideals I learned about in civics finally made real. During the Biden administration, we made progress toward that goal with initiatives that were crudely reversed under Trump, who rightly saw them as kryptonite to the MAGA movement.
I’m talking about DEI: embracing the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: “D” for diversity (representation of different identities and backgrounds); “E” for equity (fair and just treatment and access to opportunities); and “I” for inclusion (creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected).
DEI is the next major step toward fulfilling the promise of our founding documents, not, as Trump claims, an existential threat to the American Dream. The Constitution’s Preamble, beginning with “We the People,” sets the stage for achieving our highest aspirations through an “ever-expanding vision of inclusion” through amendments and legislation.
And that’s what DEI is all about: Ensuring that our unalienable rights as Americans – which I learned about in civics –are accessible to everyone. No wonder Trump hates DEI so much.
Jean Stimmell, retired stone mason and psychotherapist, lives in Northwood and blogs at jstim.substack.com.