Over the coming Fridays, The Optimist Daily will look at some of the mainstays in American culture. That said, a proper investigation of our symbols and traditions has the power to help us embrace a more comprehensive and complex version of our identity. However, when we dig deeper into these symbols, they tend to reveal more about ourselves than we bargain for-and may further unravel our understanding of who we are. When our sense of self is threatened, it is common to hold fast to cultural symbols to ground us, often in the form of creative expressions such as music, dance, and visual art-things that we use to proclaim our identity as part of a wider whole.
This leaves us all with the question: When Americans say “us,” who does that include? Living in the questions What with the January 6th attack on the Capitol, the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish the constitutional right to abortion (devastating for some, a cause to celebrate for others), and heated discussions about gun-control legislation in the wake of multiple mass shootings (especially the Uvalde school shooting) today’s America seems characterized more by its fissures and factions than its unity. The art itself speaks louder than any string of words, so if you haven’t seen it yet, check out Ware’s impactful work here.Ĭurrent events within the United States of America were the inspiration behind Ware’s art, which brings into question how the word “ united” truly fits within American identity. The narrative piece, called “ House Divided,” boldly captures the sense of polarization underlying this past year’s Fourth of July festivities, and the general atmosphere of division plaguing the nation. Last month on Independence Day, The New Yorker published an issue featuring cover art by graphic illustrator Christ Ware.
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