Show I Americanism What It Means By GARY GREEN Americanism What It Means in 68 1967 A tense young man lying in inthe inthe inthe the tepid mud of a South Vietnamese Vietnamese Vietnamese Viet Viet- namese rice paddy a sunburned Iowa farmer gazing over a golden corn field a Pennsylvania ia steel worker and a hoodlum looting a store in a city ghetto all of these men are Americans and Americans are the most eloquent expression of Americanism Americanism Americanism Ameri Ameri- at any time IN 1967 THE United States reached an all ti time me high of two hundred million people It is this population en masse and individually Individually individually indi Indi- that will shape the Americanism of the future that has shaped the Americanism of the past and is shaping the Americanism of today In surveying this population we can see many reasons to be concerned There Is a spiralling crime rate cities are filled with prejudice and unrest the I poor and underprivileged are clamoring for an equal chance and our political leaders are showing Increasing signs of I corruption Yet these problems are not Americans Americans Americans Amer Amer- have overcome such problems problems lems in the past and In are just as capable of overcoming overcoming overcoming ing them as ever I FIND much more reason for optimism than for a grim and bleak outlook Although our youth may seem rebellious in what other generation could you find bright young men and women women wom wom- en giving up successful business careers to help raise the standard standard stand stand- ard and of living both at home and abroad In no other country at atno atno atno no other time could you find the unprecedented wealth more equally divided Under no other system of go government government gov gov- v- v have the scientific and technical advances been great great- er Nowhere else can we find industry cooperating with government government government gov gov- to clear out slums and rebuild cities Our artists and writers have continued to pour out new and original creations We are not a decadent society as our enemies have expressed but merely a nation of young and vigorous people trying to find our place in the world which needs us We have a challenging present and face a bright future and rest on the foundation of or a glorious past YES WE HAVE reason for optimism but we also have reason for caution Our problems problems problems lems are very real and can only be solved by concerted effort Our greatest enemy In 1968 is not the Soviet Union or Red China but decay from within We must be wary of too much reform and have the goals of those who founded this country constantly in mind Only by ceaseless vigilance can we hope to keep the torch of freedom lighted and preserve our inimitable Inimitable inimitable table Americanism m. m something for everyone |