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More than 40 percent of Americans think that civil war is likely in the next decade. Twenty percent believe violence can be justified in support of political objectives. And as many as 37 percent say they would support their state or region seceding from the United States.
To top it all, the majority of Americans are no longer confident that the electoral system reflects the will of the people, and nearly half believe that one party or the other will overturn the legitimate transfer of power in the near future.
America is more divided today than it has been at any time in the last fifty years. The divisions in public life run so deep that they can often seem insurmountable.
Language that was once considered beyond the bounds of reasonable discourse is now common. Those on the other side are “traitors,” “fascists,” or “deplorables.” They can be labeled as purveyors of a “mind virus," aimed at “the destruction of our republic,” or perhaps simply, ”enemies of the state.”
Recently, incredulously, we witnessed an assassination attempt on a major party candidate for president.
What makes this lack of national unity so dangerous is not that it is rooted in radically divergent ideologies and policy decisions. After all, the deeply held political differences we see today are nothing new in America.
What is new is the way these differences are understood, or not understood, and especially the way they are being advanced. Most prevalent is the mainstream media, particularly on cable, and across so many social media platforms and streaming services.
Disagreements about policy have now become battlegrounds on which the forces of good and evil take to the field. Legislative decision making is now treated by many as a war for the soul of America. The intensity of disagreement we see reflected back at us from our TV screens, talk shows, and social media has reached a level not seen since the civil rights era of the sixties.
I've spent fifty years being an American since emigrating from England in the 1970s. Having lived during that time in three time zones and worked extensively in the fourth, I have become alarmed by watching the ties that bind unravel and the resulting divisions tear apart the very fabric of our nation.
But there are ideas that have bound America together for generations and translate into our hyperconnected digital age. I call them the American Prescription, designed to unite America again.
The keys to the American Prescription come in two major parts. The first is the development of a youth-focused education program that has, as its capstone, an eight-week sleep away summer camp experience for rising freshmen in High School. The second is a national ethos campaign of how we should greet and treat one another going forward.
Investing In Our Youth
The proposed investment in our youth starts with a free preschool program for all American children with the goal of providing a “real head start.” Every child can receive quality care designed to teach them how to read, write, and do basic math before they enter kindergarten.
It would be followed by free babysitting that eliminates the “latchkey kid” syndrome for the one-in-five American children who spend considerable time alone after school.
Then would come a four-year education and experience program in high school, starting with 8-weeks of fully paid summer camp designed to provide a common experience for all teenagers as they transition into adulthood. It would outline and model what it takes to be a productive and healthy adult, fashioned after the immortal words of John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for it!”
The focus would be on how young Americans can take more responsibility for their own lives and learn how to live with others from very different backgrounds.
Components would include required daily exercise, learning how to prepare and cook healthy meals, how to discipline oneself, accepting accountability, accepting differences and becoming an American adult.
This agenda will provide the programming to be offered in an outdoor rural experience. Prior to each additional year in high school, the students would work an internship, 8 weeks each summer earning a wage (at least a minimum of $15 per hour, or $5,000 per each summer), which collectively would generate +/- $20,000 in total earnings, with no tax, social security or other payroll deductions.
National and local banks would compete to provide above-average interest rates to those students who would be able to save the majority of their wages.
In one-half a generation, these youngsters could accumulate enough wealth to be used as a downpayment on an apartment, or to invest in an entrepreneurial endeavor of their choice.
Removing Financial Burdens
The free education program -- and opportunity to earn from the work experience -- also significantly benefits the parents of young Americans by removing financial burdens of preschool and after school babysitting.
The paid summer work experience for their kids would be a bonus, reducing the need for the caregiver to work longer work hours or take second jobs. This will allow them to spend more time with their children, maybe cook healthier meals for them, read to them, and help them learn how to read, write, do math and supervise the completion of their homework.
The benefit of this common experience, which used to be provided at age eighteen in the form of military service, would now be provided at a critical age when they begin puberty, and hopefully will provide an added benefit of teaching them how to better get along with one another.
In that respect, a national ethos campaign, will be introduced called PAL — representing the idea that we are all Americans and one another’s PALs — standing for a universal greeting of “Peace and Love.”
About The Author
Dr Bernie Mullin is a groundbreaking sport and entertainment industry executive who's turned around franchises, set all-time revenue and attendance records, and generated $1.5+ billion in revenues for brands from the NFL to the US Open Tennis with his agency, The Aspire Sport Marketing Group. He was CEO of NBA and NHL teams and CMO of the NBA. He's also a globally acclaimed speaker, podcaster, author, and humanitarian who has served on multiple boards, including the United Way; YMCA; and Make a Wish Foundation. His The Aspire Difference Foundation (TADF) focuses on supporting single parents with preschool children. All net proceeds from his consulting, podcasts and books go to support TADF. His new book is Reimagining America’s Dream: Making It Attainable for All.
