I'M WITH HER v. MAGA

Think of Obamacare/The Affordable Care Act. The Democrats who run on the moralistic myth, which stresses charity and compassion, created and supported the bill. They said everyone had the right to healthcare and should be given equal opportunity and access. However the materialistic myth stressed by the Republicans asked Americans, “Why should you pay for someone else’s health care?” to appeal to value of self-reliance.

America is pretty divided right now. To be fair, it’s always been divided. Polarization and demonization of the opposite political party/ideology has been relevant for decades. People say America is more divided than ever before.

I have no idea if this is true. I mean the Civil War was probably more divided than now-a-days. While I cannot attest to the divided-ness of today, old people can. Old people say America is more divided than they’ve ever see. I hear this from my parents, from teachers, and from grandparents.

With no personal experience, I guess I’ll just believe them.

In Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream by Walter Fisher offers an explanation for this divide. His piece is from 1972, but offers insight today. Fisher claims there are two interpretations of the American Dream, both equally rooted in our values. He claims there is the materialistic dream. He states, “The materialistic myth is grounded on the puritan work ethic and relates to the values of effort, persistence, ‘playing the game,’ initiative, self-reliance, achievement, and success” (118). He also claims there is a moralistic dream which “involves the values of tolerance, charity, compassion, and true regard for the dignity and worth of each and every individual” (118). Fisher also claims that these versions of the American Dream are often pitted against each other during each election cycle, reaffirming one version of the Dream and subverting the other version of the Dream.

The Republican Party was founded on the back of the moralistic myth. The party stood for abolishing slavery and unfair wage practices (Republicans saw wage labor as a form of slavery and hoped to abolish unfair wage labor along with slavery). However if we look at the Republican party today, we can see this has changed. They have changed to the materialistic myth and the Democrats have picked up the moralistic dream.

The divide between these myths was especially apparent in the 2016 election. Trump clearly ran on a platform which appealed to the materialistic dream. He told Americans that their dollars should not got to others who ‘don’t deserve it.’ He did not make much appeal to helping the impoverished or improving equality, but promised and environment where Americans could be independent and make the most of their lives according to their own accords.

 Hillary Clinton ran on a platform which appealed to the moralistic myth. She stressed equality and women’s rights. She focused on social issues and helping the poor.

Perhaps that is why Americans were so dissatisfied with both candidates. Both the moralistic and materialistic myths are a part of the American Dream, even if they do conflict. Having to choose strictly one or the other is dissatisfying because it isn’t true to American interests.