We are often told by politicians that "there is more that unites us than divides us". Really? Let's take a quick look.
Americans are DEEPLY divided over:
Attitudes about the COVID-19 pandemic
Gender & Gender Identification
The meaning of Equality & Equal Rights
The Role and Behavior of Police in Society
Americans have not been so deeply divided since the era of Slavery and the Civil War. We are the most divided country, socially, politically, and economically, in the Western world. As I was preparing to write this, I literally couldn't think of an issue where you could find even 60% of Americans in complete agreement.
So, where does this "more unites than divides" sentiment come from? Is it wishful thinking? Is there some hope that, if you say a thing often enough, it will become so? Is there something these politicians know that is hidden from the rest of the country? (No "Deep State" comments allowed) Or, and I think this most likely, is it just just something politically expedient to say? A way to artificially encourage the populace during a time of great strife.
I don't use "artificial" to mean false or insincere. I use it to mean a way to see the ideal as a way to create a goal. Saying "there CAN be more that unites us then divides us" puts us further from that goal, even though it's closer to the actual reality. Lincoln asked the people to follow the "better angels of our nature" in an attempt to prevent civil war. FDR addressed the nation from the fireside to reassure the country during the Great Depression and World War II. JFK brought younger Americans to action by declaring "The torch has been passed..." and by asking us all to think what we can do FOR the country. These men, great leaders all, were more or less ultimately successful.
No rational thinking American can believe that we are more united than divided as we welcome a new decade. Watching a mere fifteen minutes of news, regardless of the lean, will show the stark clarity of the falseness of this statement. Four years of any presidency can only scratch the surface of the deep divide. What matters more than simple truth is the perception of unity as a goal for us all to work toward. The next four years will certainly offer us a better chance to move towards that goal than the previous four. But it's not Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or Nancy Pelosi who will achieve this. It will be you, and me, refusing to give into the divide. It MUST be us, staying focused, fighting the good fight. No matter the odds.