Regaining Control Over Our Nation
In the year 2012, America was perceived to be a nation built on shared values such as kindness, hard work, and acceptance. However, around the same time, a significant shift was noticed as Democrats and political Independents expressed less pride in their American identity.
Fast forward to 2023, and a poll conducted by the WSJ/NORC revealed that the big-tent, melting pot version of America is still alive and well. Yet, the same poll indicated a decline in the importance of patriotism, with only 38% of Americans considering it very important, down from 70% in 1998. This shift in values was met with scepticism by Erin Norman, who argued that the overstatement of this shift was questionable.
The Cato Institute, in a survey conducted in 2017, revealed that most Americans of both parties still valued basic American freedoms. In the same year, a Japanese woman living in America during the 1990s noted a shift from a generous, kind, and tolerant society to one filled with anger and a colder culture.
In contrast, a 2024 survey by the Cato Institute found that self-fulfilment is important to 91% of Americans, suggesting a focus on personal growth. Hard work remains the most valued trait among Americans, with 94% considering it important.
The author, in a thought-provoking piece, identifies our country's most potent and terrible enemy as the technologies in our own pockets. This perspective is echoed in the TV show "Cobra Kai," a follow-up to the Karate Kid movies, which focuses on the character of Johnny Lawrence and portrays an alternate future for America, where it keeps getting better.
"Cobra Kai" depicts a diverse cast, but racial politics do not dominate the story. The show does not depict the existence of Trump, ICE raids, Covid, or BLM protests, creating a vision of an America we could have, if we could overcome the forces that filled us with rage and made us despise our nation.
Social media in "Cobra Kai" exists as an adjunct for real life, and real-life community and healthy relationships win out over everything else. In the real America, however, young people are often glued to TikTok all day, and romantic relationships in high school are rare.
From 2016 to 2019, Americans of both political stripes became much angrier online, according to a study by Algan et al. (2025). A well-publicized poll in 2023 found that Americans prioritise money more and community involvement and tolerance less compared to earlier years.
The author believes that we can quickly see how to strike our enemy where it lives and take our country back. Yet, the vision of a better America, as portrayed in "Cobra Kai," serves as a reminder of the values we once held dear and the potential for a brighter future.
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