Got change for sparklers?

Townsfolk shared that the message from the truck was often very political, usually NOT something everyone would agree with, but there was no booing, no hostility, just a bunch of people remembering how important freedom of speech is as one of the gifts that the July 2 vote for independence gave us. History note — it took a few more days to finalize and announce the actual Declaration of Independence text. With our 250th anniversary approaching I have to say how grateful I was to see the King of England making a speech to Congress, where we were all able to laugh about our quarrel back then and how strong our friendship is now.

A few Sundays ago, my early church group had a discussion about the concept of reconciliation, what the word meant and how it could be achieved. A definition is “the act of restoring friendly relations after a conflict.” I doubt many would disagree that the people of the United States are living in a period of extreme conflict, not unlike the turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s, where we disagreed on the war in Vietnam, achieving equality for people of all races, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, to name a few of the key issues.

My friend, cartoonist Angelo Lopez, wrote a column recently about the way the program “All in the Family” laid bare many of those conflicts within Archie Bunker’s household, and how, despite all the incredible arguments they had over really critical issues, the family stayed together. Today, I know of many people, friendships, families, that have broken apart because of MAGA vs. not MAGA disagreements.

Many of our arguments are not all that different than they were in the ‘60s and ‘70s, with, from my perspective, some folks trying to reverse the progress people of color, women and LGBTQ+ people have made. Some claim that those gains came at too high a cost to them and see themselves now suffering “reverse discrimination,” with their freedoms and rights diminished.

I see a massive transfer of wealth from the poor and working class to the rich. Others see a massive transfer of wealth from their pockets into the pockets of people who “don’t work hard enough” and organizations “feeding off of the welfare state.” I see diversity as a strength and applaud efforts to increase and celebrate that diversity. Others see the quest for diversity as divisive and discriminatory, lamenting that too many people have “failed to properly assimilate.” Many say that in the past, they were, in the present, they are, or in the future they may be a persecuted minority. Yup. I’m sure someone reading this sees things completely differently and thinks I get everything totally wrong. Yay diversity! Or Boo! You do you.

A question to ponder on our 250th anniversary, itself a testament to this exceptional national experiment’s success, is what are the ties that bind us? We’ve survived a war of independence, Civil War, two world wars and periods of massive turmoil and violence.

Can we accept the reality of more pendulum swinging, back and forth, while avoiding the extremes of any side? It will take work on all sides, and some compromises, but I hope that 250 years from now some kid will be swinging a sparkler to celebrate how, despite our wild diversity, or maybe precisely because of it, we stuck together and thrived.

Happy 250th!

Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos. Follow Craig: craigwiesner.bsky.social.