LONDON'Several months ago, when asked what the most important issue of the year would be, I gave priority to our defense of political consciousness. A few weeks later the towers fell, and the United States experienced one of those pivotal moments in history so sudden and undeniable that it felt as if a new history began with its passing. The U.S. president, formerly regarded with a mixture of condescension and contempt by nearly half of the country, suddenly found himself sitting on the highest approval rating of any president since World War II. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft called the American Civil Liberties Union and its ilk \unpatriotic"" and the nation didn't blink. My father plastered his car with American flags. Everything changed.
Except, maybe it didn't.
The credibility of the president changed somehow, as did the credulity of the American people. But for all the tension and bipartisan bonding, no renewed discourse appeared. The events of last fall may very well turn out to be more of a filter than a redefinition.
Despite the overwhelming outpouring of love for America that occurred over the last few months, the nation's political life is still much neglected, dominated by the social and economic elite. Americans were willing'even eager'to make sacrifices in the name of their country, supporting the military action in Afghanistan. The image of terrorists spitting on the values that define our culture and our country infuriated us and led us to very serious measures. And yet the situational reinterpretation of our most central constitutional values inspired only mild discomfort from most. Trampling clumsily over the principles of freedom and equality became acceptable, so long as the desecration was in the name of freedom and equality. We remain poised and prepared to defend these noble values against everyone but ourselves.
I wonder, for instance, if everyone who bought or displayed red, white and blue after Sept. 11 will vote in future elections.
There has been a lot of talk about unity these past months, and it's fair to say the nation united in the face of a terrible series of events. But unity is more fragile than it is made out to be. It does not demand rational discourse; it tends to exist only in relation to an outside pressure rather than as a testament to integrity within.
We face the same crisis of apoliticism we faced months ago. Whether America can develop and maintain a political consciousness that incorporates all of its citizens, moving beyond mere unity, will be far more pivotal than any historical moment. The pressure of terrorism cannot alter our values'they are far too deeply rooted. The real challenge to those values comes not from terrorist extremism, but our own apathy when faced with pressure from within.
