The Queen of the United Kingdom just celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, 60 years on the throne. Watching the coverage, I can't help but think that the British, and other Europeans, have something we Americans just don't have. The British have a figurehead. A national mascot. A symbol of what it means to be British, something to be proud of, regardless of political affiliation.
In America, all figureheads are political players. The President is loved by about a third of the country, despised by a third, with the final third blowing up and down the field, depending on who has the political football today. We are not united by anything, except that we disagree with each other. We don't even have a uniting philosophy. There's the TEA Party, the Occupiers, the neo-Nazis and a resurgent Black Panther Party, Republicans and Democrats, free marketers and socialists, social conservatives and social progressives, Christians, Muslims, atheists and people that are "None of the Above".
Granted, the degree of friction is minimal in most cases. Most just want to live their lives as they see fit. Nevertheless, the fact remains that there is not really any glue holding America together. Maybe it is the result of being an immigrant country, a melting pot of cultures, races, ideas, religions, and people,. The lack of a common history, a national identity is sad, but the fact is, there is nothing about America that ties us together.
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