(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Would we be willing to do what we did 82 years ago to win? – Daily Montanan [1] ['More From Author', 'December', 'Darrell Ehrlick'] Date: 2023-12-07 A few weeks ago, I was traveling and stumbled onto a public radio program that rebroadcast radio propaganda related to World War II and the United States’ rationing efforts. It was walking Americans through what was necessary to conserve, how some rationing worked, and why certain products like rubber were essential to the war effort. On this, the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a day that has, as then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, lived on in infamy, I could hardly get beyond all the measures that were required of the average citizen. It wasn’t just about if you had enough money to purchase simple things like coffee, butter or gasoline, you also had to have rationing coupons. Volunteer members of the community helped the rationing effort, and those who flouted the law could be and sometimes were prosecuted. Even if the label the “Greatest Generation” is unfair to pin on any generation, for better or worse, it was still undoubtedly a great generation for no other reason than the common community spirit that accepted the shared sacrifice for the good of the nation. Sadly, on the anniversary of such a herculean and heroic effort, I just couldn’t fight thinking repeatedly: “Oh, this could never happen now.” We had one public health pandemic two years ago, and we couldn’t keep toilet paper on the store shelves, so forgive me if I doubt our esprit de corps when it comes to voluntarily limiting our consumption, especially since we’ve become accustomed to seeing things like Amazon Prime, which can now, in some places, boast same-day delivery. With a global market that includes multi-national retailers, auction websites like eBay, and big-box stores, I can’t imagine consumers resigning themselves to meatless entrees. Heck, we blame the president when gas prices go higher, but that ignores the point that, if we’re willing to pay the price, we can still buy as much as we want. Maybe a look back at World War II – not so long ago, really – is deeply instructive as to what malaise has set in today, during a time that seems to have one group of Americans set against the other. Rationing, as draconian as it seems, demonstrated a few key points. It required a recognition of a greater good that would place the welfare of the country above the importance of self. Maybe we have emphasized the rights and privileges of the individual while not focusing enough on how it is we can allow the individual such importance. Our prosperity has come from the innovation of individual genius, but our strength has been our ability to continually support our communities through public institutions that we have taken for granted. We have built a public education system that stubbornly refuses to discard students, even those who struggle. We have a transportation system that spans a huge continent that allows for unparalleled commerce. Our military has largely thwarted the kind of threats that have destabilized other nations. And even our government – from local to federal – while fraught with partisan bickering and infighting, is not plagued by assassinations or instability or even corruption despite puffed-up and baseless claims to the contrary. The reason the individual thrives is because the country collectively succeeds. I sincerely hope I am wrong: I just can’t see most Americans tolerating a rationing system or having to make sacrifice on a resident-by-resident basis. I can see a flurry of lawsuits and criticism of government overreach if the average American were deprived of coffee. Yet, in this steadily unstable world of Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and the Mideast, it’s plausible to imagine a time when we’ll be dragged into another military conflict that may require something akin to war bonds and rationing. I can’t imagine a scenario when Americans accept such sacrifices gracefully or even without force. The irony, of course, is that clothing and accessories emblazoned with the American flag or bald eagles or references to “We The People” are ubiquitous. You want a red, white and blue Christmas tree? How about some American flag underwear? Those are easy and especially cheap when they’re manufactured in places that don’t especially like America but are fond of our currency. We love words like “freedom” and “liberty,” but how many times have we talked about duty or obligation? Hopefully, it won’t take the shock of 82 years ago to reignite a renaissance of common good for the country. Hopefully, America is still more than a sentiment on a bumper sticker. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/12/07/would-we-be-willing-to-do-what-we-did-82-years-ago-to-win/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/