Gratitude – Ken Burns “The American Revolution” – Healthcare Blog
Author: Mike Magee
Be thankful for our America, warts and all. Ken Burns said the same thing, making it clear that we are a mess of contradictions, which (part of) makes us uniquely American.
Consider that in just one week we’ve had to endure Trump’s “stuff as it happened” as he defended the Saudi Crown Prince’s ordering the killing of Khashoggi while also rejoicing in his The Hill headline: “Epstein docs are turning point in Trump’s presidency, but it’s not over yet.” Perhaps Marjorie Taylor Greene said it best for all of us when she said, “I refuse to be a 'battered wife' and hope that everything will pass and get better.”
In the shadow of authoritarian attacks unprecedented in our modern history, Americans are looking for a glimmer of hope. Would it be helpful to stress-test our democracy and expose our constitutional weaknesses so that we can take corrective action in the future? Should we accept some blame for supporting a culture rich in celebrity idolatry and for tolerating unsustainable inequality? Doesn’t unfettered capitalism undermine unity and good government in equal measure?
It's heartening that many of our public servants, some of whom are first-generation immigrants, have shown their ability, professionalism and courage to support America. Our citizens want to believe that they, not Justice Department investigators, represent us.
It’s heartening to see that compassion, understanding, and partnership remain rooted in the caring citizens who say “no” to kings, challenge massive ICE intruders, and (with the Catholic Church) raise a strong voice against immigrants in our land.
In times like these, I rely heavily on a book my son Mike published with the University of Alabama Press in 2004 called Liberating Pragmatism: Emerson, Jazz, and Experimental Writing. The book, which grew out of his doctoral thesis at the University of Pennsylvania, is an extensive study of the work of Ralph Waldo Ellison, author of “The Invisible Man,” and his namesake, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
So what did he say in the book that was so compelling that I turned the page today on the eve of another Thanksgiving celebration?
Page 3: Quoting Emerson, “To interpret Christ, it takes a Christ… To carry out the cause of freedom against slavery, you must… walk the Declaration of Independence.”
On Page 7: On “Fake News,” Mike writes, “Ultimately, Emerson came to believe that 'America' itself was a text being read, and that its meaning was a matter of collective determination. It followed that one's theory of language, one's view of how words make meaning, had potentially large-scale social consequences. In suggesting that words are 'a million faces,' Emerson came to realize that he was suggesting that social possibilities could be reshaped.”
Page 18: Regarding change and equity, “Emerson writes… 'The philosophy we want is one of fluidity and fluidity'”.
Page 19: On American culture and diversity, “Ellison said that 'in accordance with the democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,' Americans 'are improvising a nation, cobbling together a conscious culture from the various dialects, idioms, jargon, and methodologies of America's diverse peoples and regions.'”
On page 24: The Evolution of American Language and Culture, Mike quotes Ellison: “Sometimes we conveniently forget that the language we speak is not English, even though it is based on English. We forget that our language is such a flexible tool because it has been infused with so many cacophonies…from Africa, from Mexico, from Spain, from God knows where around the world.”
Pages 25 and 28: On Making Our History, Mike writes, “The jazz musician—who Ellison said always played 'within and against the band'—continually reflects on and redefines the orchestra in which he plays. Likewise, the orchestra reflects and redefines the larger community to which it is a part… (Ellison says) 'an anticipatory arena where past and present realities and possibilities can be collaborated on future histories.'”
This is a big week. We have made progress. We are not static, trapped, powerless, or fixed in place. “Liquidity and fluidity” are definitely at play. But there is still much work to be done. This should neither be surprising nor discouraging.
On the last page of the book, Mike writes: “Emancipatory pragmatism emerges whenever and wherever creative minds, or groups of creative minds, engage in symbolic acts of democracy.”
Democracy – symbol – action. These are not just words. They are a culture of values. Our future is being written. As Ken Burns recently claimed, the American Revolution was “the most important event in the history of the world since the birth of Christ.” By publicly supporting immigrants in our country and placing their bodies on the picket lines this week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops steps into the revolution with Christ and stands with both feet against King Donald.
Happy Thanksgiving Day.
Mike Magee, MD, is a medical historian and regular contributor to THCB. He is the author of “Code Blue: Inside the American Medical-Industrial Complex.” (Grove/2020)
