Look Closer
In this era of American history, it came as no surprise that the spectacle of our Winnetka, Illinois July 4th fireworks show was dampened and obscured by outside influences beyond our control.
Fog.
It was bewildering.
It was unsettling.
Imagine a sparkling display - without the sparkles.
Brief Clip of Foggy Fireworks
(Runs :31 seconds)
In the days that followed, I pondered the metaphorical connection between our diminished view of a celebratory fireworks show and the current efforts by some to cloud our hopes for a more unified America.
The intentional use of misinformation and scare tactics to blind us from seeing the good in each other.
Bad leaders who profit from division.
Corporate “bottom-liners” cutting TV News budgets while eliminating small town newspapers.
Without reporters and photographers to document shared, unifying experiences, we are left with in-studio headline readers, live reports from trouble spots, opinionated pundits and fewer local news sources.
And the divisions widen.
During my time at NBC News, a 32-year career lasting until 2012, I was permitted to cover whatever was of interest to me. Many of the stories seemed small on the surface, but had larger sociological and philosophical significance.
This is one of them.
It’s about an ice cream store.
It’s about taking a huge financial risk to bring a community together.
It’s about the American dream…fulfilled.
It’s about hope.
Nothing can cloud the impact and importance of good people making life better.
Capannari’s Ice Cream (now called Caps Ice Cream)
Aired on NBC TODAY in May of 2010.
(Runs 3:56)
To honor of all that is worth celebrating in our country, there is no paywall on this post.
Here is a brief home movie of a “normal” July 4th in Winnetka, Illinois. It was filmed in 2010 and involves two of our nine grandchildren.
A Small Town Celebrates America
(Runs 1:26)
Sometimes (in fact, most times) I find myself reading and re-reading as new and deeper layers become evident. Fog does indeed hide and distort things. Its the place that renders our sight unreliable as shapes shift and fade. It is the place where monsters dwell . It makes us afraid. It is fear that underlies the mistrust, the division, the loss of hope that you cite. Roosevelt famously declared that all we had to fear was fear itself. But the rest of that quote (rarely included) is instructive. He went on to call fear that "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." American's fears have been percolating for a long time beginning with a general sense of unease to specific perceived existential threats to the economy, the environment, ...to democracy itself. One might expect that political and other powerful figures would see the value in addressing such fears and damping them down. But the opposite has occurred. Fear is a powerful motivator. Some, seeking power, have stoked those fears and set themselves up as the only ones able to manage and protect us from those threats. They bill themselves as populists championing the :common man" over some ill defined elites. And of course, anyone who disagrees with their solutions or methods is the enemy. With no middle ground there is no room for compromise and we are left with the divisions we see today. The Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia wrote a song directed at Canadian separatists that asked "Why can't we talk to each other anymore?" A good question for us as well. But the dense fog of fear is beginning to lift. Americans do not like to feel afraid. Fear is a powerful force, to be sure. But courage is even stronger.
Glenview’s fireworks on July 4 should have been postponed. You could see them being shot off, then they disappeared into the fog. All we could see was the smoke and fog. Very disappointing.