And so, kind of ironic?

 

I have for sometime believed that what keeps the British together as British, is

there acute sense of irony.  I certainly could be wrong about that, but it does

seem kind of essential to what makes them British.


Here in the U.S.A. we , I believe, have a good bit of irony.  For example

the number one word - United.  Well, that could or maybe should

generate a good sense of irony.


Anyway, what are we United about?  Well, I think two things

that may bring us the U.S. together, is these ideas about democracy

and prosperity, and maybe some vague idea that they are connected

in some ways.  However, if you randomly get 25 people together

and ask them to describe democracy or prosperity, then you will

probably have quite a few very distinct descriptions, which would

be distinct ways of thinking about these things.  Finally, if you

expand that to 100 people, now, you will most likely get even

more varying views on these two ideas. So, it brings up the

slightly deeper issue of what are we united about?


Well, at the end of the day, or maybe slightly earlier, I think that

the U.S.A. can be both democratic and prosperous, but I think

we individually and collectively have to decide that is what we

want, and then set about trying to make that possible or maybe

more important than that, real. 

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