What in the World Did He Think Would Happen?

In an op-ed in the New York Times Robert P. Jones laments the collapse of American identity:

But recent survey data provides troubling evidence that a shared sense of national identity is unraveling, with two mutually exclusive narratives emerging along party lines. At the heart of this divide are opposing reactions to changing demographics and culture. The shock waves from these transformations — harnessed effectively by Donald Trump’s campaign — are reorienting the political parties from the more familiar liberal-versus-conservative alignment to new poles of cultural pluralism and monism.

An Associated Press-NORC poll found nearly mirror-opposite partisan reactions to the question of what kind of culture is important for American identity. Sixty-six percent of Democrats, compared with only 35 percent of Republicans, said the mixing of cultures and values from around the world was extremely or very important to American identity. Similarly, 64 percent of Republicans, compared with 32 percent of Democrats, saw a culture grounded in Christian religious beliefs as extremely or very important.

These divergent orientations can also be seen in a recent poll by P.R.R.I. that explored partisan perceptions of which groups are facing discrimination in the country. Like Americans overall, large majorities of Democrats believe minority groups such as African-Americans, immigrants, Muslims and gay and transgender people face a lot of discrimination in the country. Only about one in five Democrats say that majority groups such as Christians or whites face a lot of discrimination.

and he cites G. K. Chesterton from “What I Saw in America”, an essay I encourage you to read. In that same essay Chesterton characterizes the United States as a country founded on a creed, unlike other countries that were founded on ties of blood or shared history.

What he doesn’t point out is that Chesterton visited the United States the last time the percentage of immigrants in the country reached 15% and that time we responded very differently. We founded the public school system with the explicit purpose of teaching and promoting the American creed.

Now not only do our schools not promote the American creed, many of them reject it outright or even view it as disturbing. That is not a formula for developing a new shared creed but, as Mr. Jones observes, for fraction.

I don’t know what will happen. The one thing I caution those who long for a new American creed, “weaving a new national narrative in which all Americans can see themselves” as Mr. Jones puts it, that the latest wave of immigrants are much more socially conservative than previous waves and much less embracing of liberal democracy. If we don’t teach it, what do we think will happen?

As I’ve pointed out here before at length, every wave of immigrants has left its mark on our politics and society. New immigrants may not arrive with much in the way of material possessions but they do bring their political, social, and religious beliefs with them when they arrive here. Add that when immigrants come here today they don’t cut ties with the old country the way immigrants use to. I know lots of recent immigrants who still call Mama every night.

I don’t think that’s a durable foundation for a new American creed. Maybe I’m wrong.