Even bigger history?

Tonight I saw a series of “If Obama wins…” videos from Newsweek* with various analysts weighing in on the task faced by the Republican party at this point, and one of the questions mentioned was “Why Obama?  Was this about Bush?  Or is this about the issues?”

I ask myself a similar question: Why this level of enthusiasm?  Was this about charismatic candidates, maybe even about the issues… or are we seeing a larger cultural and political shift in the United States?  While Newsweek may have been asking in terms of ideology, my question specifically revolves around the role of individualism in our country.

This year, we observed an enthusiasm for the political process unparalleled in our time, and as psychologist Shawn Rosenberg says, “Voting is a realization of [one's] social position of a citizen, as a person in a larger community.”  Regardless of the source of the excitement, in the process of this race, as well as in lengthy lines at the packed polls, we have come together this year.  The Obama campaign’s grassroots organization and small-donor-based fundraising were unprecedented and built a strong feel of camaraderie as citizens worked together to “make history.”

And now I wonder, what has that done to us?  How have we grown, learned, ourselves experienced a different kind of “change we can believe in”?  And who all has changed?  Obama supporters?  The American people more broadly?  Only those most involved in the campaign?  If nothing else, the stand many Americans took today–a posture of acceptance toward a more progressive tax system, universal health care, and the like–seems to indicate that at least some of us are becoming less frightened by the idea of communal responsibility.

I have long suspected (/hoped) that the growing number of people of color in the United States might dampen Euro-American hyper-individualism (as mentioned in a blog series I wrote a while back), as few cultures put as much emphasis on the individual as white Americans do.  It’s also been interesting to see the emphasis of postmodern culture on community–perhaps to the “experts” it’s clear what’s going on, but I’m still waiting to see how that might affect individualism.  Additionally, one has to wonder the role of globalization and the various crises are playing.  We are becoming more and more connected to each other through technology and travel, and we must even learn to work together to tackle great problems of our day like global warming and the AIDs crisis.  Could it be that these world changes are actually forming our politics and culture in significant and permanent ways?

The chances of the United States completely dropping its obsession with the individual seems pretty slim, and any cultural change would likely be gradual.  Still, I’m hopeful that these may be the first fruits of a more long-term change, however small.  As Robert Wuthnow says in American Mythos, “Social capital implies a network in which there will be long-term relationships.  It implies beavior that will maintain trust.  The good of others in the network must therefore be taken into consideration” (54).  With a little less me and a little more us, it sounds like everyone wins.  Let’s hope the issues at hand and the process of participating in this historic election have taught all of us that the cost of such a trajectory is well worth it.

(And while I’m at it, I need to pub the fact that WALL-E, which I strongly believe is an intensely political, even theological, film, will be released on DVD on Nov. 18th!  I think the film has a lot to say about individualism and other aspects of American culture, and all of our blog readers should watch and discuss it with their friends!)

*These videos are currently featured on another article’s page, and I can’t locate them anywhere else.  I’m hoping they’ll stay put so you can go see them!

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Tags: 2008, American Mythos, Barack Obama, Change, community, culture, election, global issues, individualism, John McCain, Politics, Robert Wuthnow, Shawn Rosenberg, social capital, WALL-E

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