David Brooks - One Nation, Slightly Divisible

This article talks about the difference between red and blue America. Blue America refers to the people that live near cities and have a fast paced life. Red America refers to rural areas where life is much more calm than the city. The two are named by colors because of the elections - red refers to republicans and blue refers to democrats. The fact that the Unites States of America has been split into these two types of parties shows that we are not as "united" as we say we are. There are certain states and people in them that believe ideas that clash with people from other states. Although their ideas seperate them, this is what makes America a place that is free. People in America are free to express their own ideas, and believe their own beliefs. Although this freedom brings a negative seperation between people, it is what our nation stands for. People in America appreciate the fact that they can voice their own opinion and be heard. Sure, there might be opposition to their opinion, but that doesn't mean that their argument is not valid. Although our nation is split between our differences in ideas, there are times when we come together no matter what our oppositions are. When our country is in need, the people are able to disregaurd every difference that we have, and work together to provide necessary help. These times include tragedies such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Although the country has its differences in beleifs, we were able to put that aside and work towards what was necessary - recovering from the disaster. Even though the entire nation was effected by these disasters, not everyone was directly effected. People on the East coast were much more effected by 9/11 because their family and friends had a higher risk of being involved in the tragedy. People across America may not have been effected by the attack as much as people on the East coast, but they helped out anyway. This is one example of our nation coming together and disregaurding our differences. I believe that our nation will always have our differences and opposition in opinions, but that does not mean that we will not be there for each other when it is necessary.