Browsing the old newspaper from the World War II era made me stop and think about how we were so united in fighting that war. The representative ads shown above don't even scratch the surface in regards to what was actually done. Yes, we have those stock images of the "Rosie the Riveter" archetype and the gas rationing, victory gardens, bond drives, etc. All very quaint to us today, but people were really into it. Contrast that unity to now with all the discord we read about everyday over something like wearing a mask or getting vaccinated and I fear we can never go back to a united front over anything in this country. Early in the pandemic, I recall public service ads on TV telling us all that we were all in this together. Well, that certainly didn't seem to pan out, didn't it?
I'm reminded of a quote attributed to football coach Lou Holtz, who said, " In the nineties, everybody wants to talk about their rights and privileges. Twenty-five years ago, people talked about their obligations and responsibilities." And by extension, you can relate this to every day people today who, by and large, seem to be all wrapped up in themselves rather than in how they fit into the grander scheme of things with their fellow man. Caring is out the window; it's now, what's in it for me? The whole thing makes me rather sad.
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