Unifying Values in Decline

Unifying Values in Decline

– By Howard Sierer –

Motherhood, the flag, and apple pie.

Sadly, the first two of these unifying American values are in decline – along with others – according to a 2023 University of Chicago poll.

I see the poll’s findings as illustrating the cumulative and continuing impact of progressives’ attacks on longstanding American values. Progressives are undermining national unity while failing to inspire more than a small minority of Americans to adopt their radical social ideas. Take a look at some examples.

This year’s poll results show that patriotism is very important to 38% of respondents, down dramatically from 1998 when 70% said it was very important. We can credit former Pres. Obama for opening the door for progressives who view patriotism as solely the province of far-right extremists.

He was the first president who had the nerve to state that the U.S. was only one of many countries who believe they are exceptional. When this provoked a firestorm of criticism, his final State of the Union address made at least a few bows toward the idea that America is an exceptional nation.

Patriotism and community involvement have declined as civic virtues while rising individualism and feelings of entitlement have taken their place. These changes reflect progressives focusing on racial and cultural divisions – identity politics – by favoring some groups over others rather than recognizing the many things we all have in common.

Progressives point to their call for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as social values that should be embraced by all Americans. But their implementation as seen by a majority of their fellow citizens, consists of unanimity, inequality and exclusion.

Religion has experienced a similar decline with 39% of recent respondents saying it was very important to them compared to 62% who said that in 1998.

Longstanding religious practices have been under steady attack from progressives who, like Karl Marx, see religion as the  “opium of the people” and a haven for bigots. For example, Catholic opposition to birth control led progressive government officials to drag the Little Sisters of the Poor to the Supreme Court not once but twice. The Sisters are 2-0.

Tolerance for others was deemed very important by 80% of Americans as recently as 2019 but has fallen to 58% in this year’s poll. Percentages of those who say having children, being involved in the community and working hard are very important have also dropped.

In a Pyrrhic victory for those on the left who still cling to notions of a population bomb, only 23% of adults under age 30 believe having children is very important. Sadly for the country’s long term future, this view is being put into practice with our births per woman falling far below the population replacement rate.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that in 2020 our country had 1.1 million fewer children under age 18 than it did in 2010 while the adult population grew by 10.1%. Unless this trend changes, we will join China, Japan and much of Europe in facing economic decline as our senior population becomes unsupportable by too few adults of working age.

The only priority whose importance has grown is money: very important to 43% in the recent poll as compared to 31% in 1998. An executive at the polling firm believes that today’s high inflation and economic uncertainty may have contributed to this year’s results: “People are just sort of down on everything about the country.”

The poll reports that mainstream Americans continue to resist some radical progressive prescriptions. For example, a solid 63% of respondents agreed that companies should not take stands on political and social issues, a rebuke to progressives who’ve encouraged Disney’s LGBTQ advocacy.

Another example: half of survey respondents said they didn’t like being shamed by progressives into using gender-neutral pronouns like “they” and “them” instead of “her” or “him” when speaking or writing about another individual. Overall only 18% were in favor.

Call me old fashioned if you will, but motherhood and patriotism are unifying American values that have seen the nation through thick and thin. Nurturing them in our younger generations will allow our country to flourish and to remain the exceptional beacon of freedom for the downtrodden around the world that it has been for centuries.

Oh, and by the way, I love apple pie.

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