S6 E41: #AskJohnQ Looking Back, Looking Forward

Uh, Amanda from Pennsylvania writes in, uh, via DM, "You've talked a lot about how divided people have become.

Do you think there's anything that can realistically bring Americans together again, or have we reached a poi- a point where the divisions are just part of who we are now?" Um, great question, Amanda.

Thank you very much.

Um, you know, I can tackle this a couple different ways.

Um, divisions in a society, especially a, a constitutional republic, um, such as the United States...

Notice I don't say democracy.

I never say democracy, 'cause while we are a democratic country, we are a constitutional republic.

Um, divisions are what makes us who we are.

The real thing is how those divisions are not just interpreted, but acted upon, and I think that's one of the things that, that we really need to, um, uh, to look at more than anything.

You know, 'cause we've seen, you know, uh, you know, acts of political violence and just violence in general because, uh, one group doesn't particularly believe what another group does, you know? And it's led to divisions, not just, you know, in, in, uh, among, uh, this, the, the Americans, but, uh, among friends and families and coworkers and...

You know, people have lost jobs because of their political beliefs and, um, you know, or their beliefs on a specific topic, and that to me is the part that's wrong because, you know, you've, you hear it m- uh, multiple times, whether it's from a politician in real life or, or, um, or a politician on TV, that there's far more that unites us as Americans than divides us, and that's true, but it's st- our divisions that make America who it is.

Um, now y- you ask, uh, I'm looking over your question here, "Do you think that there's anything that can realistically bring t- Americans together again?" You know, I hate to, hate to say it, but I don't think...

There were a few instances historically that I can think of that I think brought together Americans at, like, no other time in, in recorded history of, of our great nation, and that, and two of them happened in, uh, one of them only happened in my lifetime, okay? And that was the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, um, the assassination of John F.

Kennedy in 1963, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 25 years ago.

I think that those were times where people as, as, as a, as a, as, as a, a whole, I'm not talking about specific groups, but Americans, I think, as a whole, um, didn't talk about political distinctions amongst each other.

Um, I brought it up on, on, on a previous pod- uh, bro- a podcast that, you know, we should treat life like we treat our sporting events.

You know, I'm a New York Rangers fan.

One of my closest friends is a New Jersey Devils fan.

We go back and forth, tooth and nail, during the NHL season, but we're still friends.

We still talk about other things.

You know, we still, I think, play important roles in our li- in each other's lives.

I think, I think, um, in the political arena, in the political world, it should be the same way.

Yeah, you can have differing opinions.

That's, that's what's important, okay? It's when those opinions turn into violence, when they turn into hatred, when they turn into families splitting apart and friends not talking to each other, that's when it's becomes wrong.

So I still, I'm still a firm believer in that there's a lot more that unites Americans than divides us, and I don't think that bridge is, uh, that bridge between the two is insurmountable.

Uh, Amanda from Pennsylvania writes in, uh, via DM, "You've talked a lot about how divided people have become.

Do you think there's anything that can realistically bring Americans together again, or have we reached a poi- a point where the divisions are just part of who we are now?" Um, great question, Amanda.

Thank you very much.

Um, you know, I can tackle this a couple different ways.

Um, divisions in a society, especially a, a constitutional republic, um, such as the United States...

Notice I don't say democracy.

I never say democracy, 'cause while we are a democratic country, we are a constitutional republic.

Um, divisions are what makes us who we are.

The real thing is how those divisions are not just interpreted, but acted upon, and I think that's one of the things that, that we really need to, um, uh, to look at more than anything.

You know, 'cause we've seen, you know, uh, you know, acts of political violence and just violence in general because, uh, one group doesn't particularly believe what another group does, you know? And it's led to divisions, not just, you know, in, in, uh, among, uh, this, the, the Americans, but, uh, among friends and families and coworkers and...

You know, people have lost jobs because of their political beliefs and, um, you know, or their beliefs on a specific topic, and that to me is the part that's wrong because, you know, you've, you hear it m- uh, multiple times, whether it's from a politician in real life or, or, um, or a politician on TV, that there's far more that unites us as Americans than divides us, and that's true, but it's st- our divisions that make America who it is.

Um, now y- you ask, uh, I'm looking over your question here, "Do you think that there's anything that can realistically bring t- Americans together again?" You know, I hate to, hate to say it, but I don't think...

There were a few instances historically that I can think of that I think brought together Americans at, like, no other time in, in recorded history of, of our great nation, and that, and two of them happened in, uh, one of them only happened in my lifetime, okay? And that was the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, um, the assassination of John F.

Kennedy in 1963, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 25 years ago.

I think that those were times where people as, as, as a, as a, as, as a, a whole, I'm not talking about specific groups, but Americans, I think, as a whole, um, didn't talk about political distinctions amongst each other.

Um, I brought it up on, on, on a previous pod- uh, bro- a podcast that, you know, we should treat life like we treat our sporting events.

You know, I'm a New York Rangers fan.

One of my closest friends is a New Jersey Devils fan.

We go back and forth, tooth and nail, during the NHL season, but we're still friends.

We still talk about other things.

You know, we still, I think, play important roles in our li- in each other's lives.

I think, I think, um, in the political arena, in the political world, it should be the same way.

Yeah, you can have differing opinions.

That's, that's what's important, okay? It's when those opinions turn into violence, when they turn into hatred, when they turn into families splitting apart and friends not talking to each other, that's when it's becomes wrong.

So I still, I'm still a firm believer in that there's a lot more that unites Americans than divides us, and I don't think that bridge is, uh, that bridge between the two is insurmountable.