Are Americans no longer willing to ‘bear any burden’?
It was 60 years ago today that John F. Kennedy stood on the East Portico of the Capitol and delivered his inaugural address, arguably the most well-known of the 20th century. The temperature in Washington was 22 degrees when the new president stepped to the podium, but beyond the cold weather, Americans were concerned with the Cold War, which was heating up.
Kennedy made clear that the United States hoped for peace, while at the same time warning rival superpower the Soviet Union that this nation would “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship … to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
I’m not so sure that Americans today are willing to “bear any burden” for the good of their country. In fact, many — not a majority, but a significant number — are unwilling to bear the relatively mild burdens of wearing masks and refraining from gatherings outside of the household.
The most oft-quoted line from Kennedy’s address that day came later in the speech, when he said, “And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
To many of those watching the 1961 inauguration, making sacrifices for the collective good was nothing new. During World War II, items including coffee, butter, eggs, sugar, meat and gasoline were rationed. Scrap drives were held in cities and towns across the country to collect metal, paper and rubber for the war effort.
Millions signed up for military service and millions more were drafted. More than 400,000 made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed during the war, but they had seen to it that the goal was accomplished: fascism in Europe and Asia were crushed.
As Joe Biden assumes the presidency, he is asking all of us to wear masks for the next 100 days whenever we are in public, and he will require people to do so in areas where he has jurisdiction.
“This is a patriotic act,” Biden said last week. “We’re in a war with the virus.”
In the realm of sacrifices, this one is pretty easy. We are not being asked to do without certain food items or to go to some far-off land to put ourselves in harm’s way. We’re being asked to do a simple thing that could possibly save our lives or the lives of family and friends, but will definitely slow the spread of a virus that has thus far killed 400,000 of our fellow citizens.
Many Americans have already dutifully worn face coverings for the past 10 months; another 100 days is not too much to ask. Plus, the more-contagious variant of the coronavirus is now spreading through the U.S., so it’s even more important that we keep our guard up.
Those who have made mask-wearing a political issue should be ashamed of themselves. If this country had, from the start, taken seriously the simple precautions that have been constantly repeated by government officials and medical professionals — wear masks, avoid gatherings, social distance, wash hands — then it’s quite possible that schools, restaurants and other businesses would be open today all across the country and the economy wouldn’t be sputtering.
Americans who lived during the Great Depression and World War II are sometimes referred to as the Greatest Generation — and justifiably so. They faced incredible hardships, and their courage and commitment helped this country prevail. Now, we are being asked to do something for the collective good, something that is, at worst, mildly annoying.
“For God’s sake, wear a mask,” Biden said, just days before he raises his hand to take the oath of office, “if not for yourself…for your country.”
Hopefully, his fellow Americans will rise to the challenge.
Originally published in The Daily Item on January 20, 2021.
