The Great American Media Machine is busy ingraining our minds with 12-course turkey dinners, nuclear family gatherings and smiles on every face. I’m one of the lucky Americans for whom that image fits our home today. Ann has the meal all worked out, family is coming in from near and far and we are examples of the American Dream. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Ann and I credit our Union, the United Steelworkers, for our economic comfort. I credit Ann, our kids and a lot of special personal and work friends for our contentment and enjoyment of this life. We have had our rough spots for sure. But life, for us, is good.
This Thanksgiving is especially encouraging because two days ago, our members in USW District Ten elected an energetic, dedicated and experienced leader to be the USW Director in Pennsylvania. We have hopes he will usher in a new era of innovation, activism and member-focused efforts. Part of the changing of the guard that our Union and its members need. So, I’m thankful for the election of Bernie Hall on this Thanksgiving Day.
With all this to be thankful for, I also feel indebted. Ann and I are winners in the lottery of this nation. We have a choice to just take, or to pay forward. It’s not a hard choice for us. As we open our refrigerator, filled with holiday food, we know there are families whose shelves are bare today. As we look at the ads for Black Friday sales, we know there are many who haven’t a dime to spend on any of it. As we set the thermometer in our house to fend off the cold outside, we know there are Americans shivering under blankets or homeless on an unprotected street bench. There are folks being abused and those with physical and mental disabilities, bedeviled and hurting. For us, Thanksgiving is about both celebrating what we have and rededicating ourselves to helping others with a hand up.
For many others, Ann and I are fools. Just easy marks for others to use and take advantage of. Their view is that the less fortunate have earned their circumstances and are solely responsible for extracting themselves. They believe the American Dream is equally available to everyone and if someone doesn’t grab the brass ring, it’s their fault. On top of that, many feel their own success is all their own doing. They earned it all by themselves and they get to keep it all for themselves. In their view, there is no debt to be paid for their good fortune. No responsibility to all those who paid the taxes, created the opportunities and paved the way to their circumstances. These views have created a portion of our society that are “takers”. For them, Thanksgiving is all about them. There are plenty of opportunists that reinforce the “me, myself and I” view in America.
In a very real way, the kind of Thanksgiving we celebrate today marks the path our nation will travel. Will it be a hand up, or a foot down? Will we be a people who appreciate and share, or a group of individuals who feel no common bond or responsibility to each other? Because the American Dream is only available if there is broad opportunity. So, on this Thanksgiving Day I’m most thankful for all those who are willing to help extend that opportunity to our entire nation’s people. As to the turkey population…well you’re kinda screwed today… Happy Thanksgiving friends.
ihg 11-25-2021
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