The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America
- Downloads：9131
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-27 11:21:00
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Victor Davis Hanson
- ISBN：1668601745
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The New York Times bestselling author explains the decline and fall of the once cherished idea of American citizenship
Most of human history is full of the stories of peasants， subjects， or tribes。 The concept of the "citizen，" an idea we take for granted， is historically quite rare - and was， until recently， amongst America's most profoundly cherished ideals。 But without shock treatment， warns historian and conservative political commentator Victor Davis Hanson， American citizenship as we have known it for well over two centuries may soon vanish。
In The Dying Citizen， Hanson outlines the forces that have brought us to the twilight of American citizenship， and led to the deeply fractured politics of the present era。 Over the last half-century， numerous forces from both above and below have conspired to undermine the value we place in the idea of citizenship - and our vigilance in protecting it。 To be self-governing， citizens must be economically autonomous， but the evisceration of the middle class and the rise of inequality have made many Americans dependent on the federal government。 Citizenship exists within delineated borders - but open borders and the elite concept of "global citizenship" have rendered meaningless the idea of allegiance to a particular place。 Citizenship relies on the renunciation of tribal identity in favor of the state， but identity politics have eradicated the idea of a collective civic sense of self。 A vastly expanded unelected bureaucracy has overwhelmed the power of elected officials， thereby destroying the sovereign power of the citizen。 Progressive academics and activists lay siege to the institutions and traditions of constitutional citizenship。
As in the revolutionary years of 1848， 1917， and 1968， 2020 has ripped away our complacency about the future of our most cherished ideals。 Americans are forced to confront the fragility of citizenship - indeed， the fragility of our nation。 But this calamitous year may also teach Americans to rebuild and recover what we have lost。 The choice is ours。
Most of human history is full of the stories of peasants， subjects， or tribes。 The concept of the "citizen，" an idea we take for granted， is historically quite rare - and was， until recently， amongst America's most profoundly cherished ideals。 But without shock treatment， warns historian and conservative political commentator Victor Davis Hanson， American citizenship as we have known it for well over two centuries may soon vanish。
In The Dying Citizen， Hanson outlines the forces that have brought us to the twilight of American citizenship， and led to the deeply fractured politics of the present era。 Over the last half-century， numerous forces from both above and below have conspired to undermine the value we place in the idea of citizenship - and our vigilance in protecting it。 To be self-governing， citizens must be economically autonomous， but the evisceration of the middle class and the rise of inequality have made many Americans dependent on the federal government。 Citizenship exists within delineated borders - but open borders and the elite concept of "global citizenship" have rendered meaningless the idea of allegiance to a particular place。 Citizenship relies on the renunciation of tribal identity in favor of the state， but identity politics have eradicated the idea of a collective civic sense of self。 A vastly expanded unelected bureaucracy has overwhelmed the power of elected officials， thereby destroying the sovereign power of the citizen。 Progressive academics and activists lay siege to the institutions and traditions of constitutional citizenship。
As in the revolutionary years of 1848， 1917， and 1968， 2020 has ripped away our complacency about the future of our most cherished ideals。 Americans are forced to confront the fragility of citizenship - indeed， the fragility of our nation。 But this calamitous year may also teach Americans to rebuild and recover what we have lost。 The choice is ours。
Reviews
Dave
，
In his forthcoming book， the Dying Citizen， noted historian Victor Davis Hanson cogently explains the roots of citizenship in the ancient Greek democracies and traces the modern-day threats to citizenship in current America。Hanson begins his treatise by discussing the citizens of the ancient Greek republics who were， for the most part， middle-class people who saw themselves protected by laws rather than by transitory goodwill or the patronage of aristocrats and were thus enabled and emboldened t In his forthcoming book， the Dying Citizen， noted historian Victor Davis Hanson cogently explains the roots of citizenship in the ancient Greek democracies and traces the modern-day threats to citizenship in current America。Hanson begins his treatise by discussing the citizens of the ancient Greek republics who were， for the most part， middle-class people who saw themselves protected by laws rather than by transitory goodwill or the patronage of aristocrats and were thus enabled and emboldened to produce and create。 That idea of citizenship with responsibilities and rights has been expanded over the past 200 plus years to include the poor， women， and minorities， creating the free-est country in the history of the world。Yet， now that idea of citizenship is threatened by the shrinking of the middle-class in a world where jobs have been shipped overseas and the middle-class of the most affluent and technology advanced state （California） cannot afford a home and cannot afford to raise their families there。 Without the middle-class， the world becomes the rich elites who do not need the protection of government because they are transnational and can go anywhere and the impoverished uneducated who have not learned the values of democracy。Secondly， Hanson points out that there is a dilution in distinction now between citizens and residents so that those who come here illegally have the same rights as those who were born here and those who followed the rules。 This illegal immigration has resulted in jurisdictions where they openly defy federal law， weakening the rule of law and the protections of law that so many have counted on。 It has also resulted in untold thousands of criminals among the many essentially decent people who have crossed the border illegally， but in such numbers that even a small minority of criminals have caused unimaginable havoc and suffering on those who relied on the government to protect them from criminals。The third threat to citizenship and democracy that Hanson identifies is the breakdown of Americans into separate identity tribes as opposed to one national identity。 This， in turn， causes harm to patriotism and to adherence to shared values and history。 He notes that “the story of the United States was never just a simplistic psychodrama” of different racial groups warring， but often a tale of class antagonism。 Notably， though， the founding documents offered a “sanctioned pathway out of bias to a fairer and more racially blind society。” Multiculturalism fragments citizenship into racial categories and divides us further。 Opposed to tribalism though is individualism and the American ideal is to each be treated on their own merit， not based on shared characteristics。The fourth threat to citizenship identified in this book is the unelected whether that is the ever-growing power of the deep state， the unelected bureaucracy which thinks it knows better than the ordinary citizen。 “The bureaucratic threat， then， to classical citizenship is an ascendance of a virtual unelected aristocracy or rigged oligarchy that exercises power in a manner that does not reflect consensual government。” These powerful elites have also of late taken root in the journalistic industry which no longer purports to be neutral and whose biases are now clearer than ever and more partisan than ever。The fifth threat is called evolutionaries， that is， those who would do away with our common heritage and throw out the baby with the bathwater， trashing the constitution， the amendments， the makeup of the Supreme Court， the freedoms we hold dear。 Elites now are piecemeal attacking the First Amendment， the Second Amendment， and wielding whatever power they deem right to suit their ends。Finally， the sixth threat to citizenship is globalism whereby the elites have decreed that all civilizations are equal and that there is nothing to be admired about the free United States。 In service of globalism， it is often the middle and lower classes that suffer as their jobs are shipped out of country and their lives are hollowed out。 Globalism also results in submission to world bodies dominated by Iran and North Korea where the idea of human rights is not serious and our sovereignty is gifted to international bodies who do not have our interests at heart。Thus， there are today a number of ever-escalating threats to freedom and democracy and our way of life and we had better recognize the thin ice we are skating on before our freedoms are crushed in the pathway of someone else’s idea of a better world。 。。。more
Jane
，