If Civilization is Over, What Will You Save?
We Americans are unhappy. We are not happy about America. We are not happy about ourselves in relation to America. We are nervous—or gloomy —or apathetic…
…As we look toward the future—our future and the future of other nations—we are filled with foreboding. The future doesn’t seem to hold anything for us except conflict, disruption, war.
Dear Wags,
How funny to think a magazine editorial could prod a nation toward its destiny. The one we quote from above did. It was written by Henry R. Luce in the February 17, 1941 issue of Life. Luce urged America to confront totalitarians and become the standard bearer for democratic values. He rejected isolationism in his GOP and thought Roosevelt was too slow to help Britain against the Nazis.
Beyond that, Luce wanted the United States to assert its power in novel ways—not to become an old-fashioned territorial empire, but to dominate in the realm of ideas. As he put it, to exert upon the world the full impact of our influence.
The title of that essay was The American Century. Luce, the information mogul of his age, used his own influence to exalt a civilization. We have 17 years left on his clock, but a scroll through your phone might tell you our time is up. There’s no shortage of hustlers who want to trash an imperfect liberal world order for — details pending.
Before tonight’s presidential debate, at another historical clinch point, we wonder: If our civilization is circling the drain, what would you save?
What treasures of this infectious, frustrating culture—high, medium, and deliciously low—should be stowed in a time capsule for future archeologists?
Enough about what makes us lousy. What inventions and distractions delight and inspire you? Maybe it’s the voice of Nina Simone or the movies of Mel Brooks. Perhaps it’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Edzo’s Burger Shop in Chicago, Merle Haggard, Tina Fey, and Thelonious Monk.
You get the picture: To meaningfully criticize or reform a civilization, one must first appreciate it.
By popular demand, we’re breaking out the For Your Consideration section and making it a recurring dispatch. The aim is to remind you that while culture can divide us, it also knits this heterogeneous and fractious society together. When things are looking grim, remember you share a legacy with Martha Graham, Kendrick Lamar, and Charo.
We’re asking friends to keep a tally of things that make this quirky human experiment worthwhile. And we’d love your help.
Nominate something or someone wonderful this culture nurtured for the world’s consideration. Send suggestions to intern@culturewag.com.
The choice can be highfalutin or lowbrow. It can make you laugh or cry. The only rule is that it reminds you of why we squabble over culture in the first place. It belongs to all of us, and it endures.
Whatever happens in November, the exercise is a reminder that we are capable of manufacturing far more than outrage.
Which of today’s information lords, vastly richer and more powerful than Henry Luce, could articulate a vision for the next 100 years? They reap billions from an information ecosystem that scuppers shared values for self-gratification. But the cheap high we get from tribal fury wears off. Venal tycoons reach the limitations of power divorced from a grander mission.
Other nations persist because they have endured so long, wrote Luce, But this nation, conceived in adventure and dedicated to the progress of man…cannot truly endure unless there courses strongly through its veins from Maine to California the blood of purposes and enterprise and high resolve.
In our silly amusements and lofty monuments, in the jokes we crack, the food we love, and the music we make, we tell the world who are and why we matter. No matter what happens in the next century, we’re not done.
Yours Ever,
The Wag Team
CultureWag is the brainchild of JD Heyman, former editor at People and Entertainment Weekly, and is staffed by the Avengers of Talent. Our goal is to cover interesting topics with wit and integrity. We serve smart, funny recommendations to the most hooked-in audience in the galaxy. Questions? Drop us a line at intern@culturewag.com.
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