Out of many, one

The Coca Cola Company has modified their America the Beautiful advertisement that sparked an outcry from many Americans after it aired on Superbowl Sunday. Coca Cola added a patriotic disclaimer at the beginning of the commercial.

The commercial now begins with an image of the iconic phrase E Pluribus Unum and its English translation, Out of many, one. E Pluribus Unum was the motto of the United States for almost 200 years. Most Americans deeply resonate with that phrase. This is not a minor change because it shifts the focus of the ad from diversity to community. This decision is being hailed as a new media victory for community organizers from the silent majority.

A large majority of Americans support diversity and multiculturalism as long as the diversity is accompanied by acculturation. But many Americans are concerned that because of out of control illegal immigration (that does not include U.S. citizenship education), and multiculturalism without assimilation, we are losing the one in favor of the tyranny of the disconnected many. Most Americans believe the one is worth preserving. The one is the American community.

I wrote about this distinction in my book Discovering Possibility. To me it is common sense that a system can only survive and prosper if it maintains its core identity and its people value the whole. Unfortunately, in an increasingly fragmented, undereducated, and libertarian climate, many people no longer appreciate the importance of maintaining a shared national identity. Everyone wants do do his own thing, and the United States is suffering as a result.

I believe we need a renewed focus on rebuilding the American community and I would hope this is job one for the next American President and community leaders all across the country. We should end our focus on difference and division and start focusing on similarity and cohesion. The things that bind us together are more important than the things that make us unique. If we cannot accomplish this goal, I fear we may not be able to hold the country together.

This was the focus of my recent Discovering Possibilities series, Can America be Saved, that appeared on Access Nashua.

Multiculturalism can only create better communities if the people in those multiple cultures have critical values in common and work together to achieve shared ends. Hopefully, that is what Coca Cola is trying to convey in its new advertisement.

Chalk one up for the defenders of the American community. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come.