Join or Die

SO many holes, leaps in logic, begging the question and unsubstantiated assertions it was painful. It was little more than rephrasing and repositioning Hillary clinton's "it takes a village".

As the excruciatingly one-sided presentation of an often debunked theory came to a close, it occurred to me it was more about the beatification of Bob Putnam than it was about presenting his grossly omissive theory in a convincing or believable way. Disjointed and contradictory, the only constant was showing all the people that loved Putnam and considered his work worthy of listening to. Truly a celebration of the appeal to authority and the virtue of group think. In this latest pitch by the collective, 2+2=5...in the real world, it does not.

Join or Die was enthusiastically received at its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. As a political scientist, I appreciate what the film makers have done. They have taken the theories of Professor Bob Putnam, a relatively obscure political scientist (who I read in grad school), and presented them in a highly accessible way for the general public.

Putnam's argument is essentially that America's divisions today are rooted in the decline of our social capital as fewer Americans join clubs and organizations. Whether or not, he has found the true cause of our divisions is debatable. It could also be argued that people join fewer organizations, because they have less free time, because of increased economic inequality. Thus he may be mixing up the cause and the effect. That said, it is an important debate and one that the American public should be more engaged in.

I'd also add that the pattern that Putnam is describing is only likely to continue to grow as we turn from in-person networking to online social networks. Online networks can never fully duplicate the relationships that are developed from face-to-face contact. Sadly, I expect the pattern that Putnam describes to continue.

The documentary is well worth watching for all those trying to understand the problems in our civic culture today. The film makers have done an excellent job of taking a complex academic debate and making it accessible and available. I hope the film is made widely available for the public and for students reading Putnam in academic settings.

In a time of polarization the simple act of showing up, face-to-face, and spending time with the people in your community can make a positive difference. That's the inspiring case being made in this film. From the Odd Fellows lodge in Waxahachie, TX to a bowling alley in Portland Main, to a church run farm in Michigan, we see examples of how the simple act of regularly gathering can help individuals feel a sense of belonging and communities grow more resilient. Well pace, and balanced between sharing experiences and discussing how Robert Putnam's research reveals the surprising impact of simple human connection, this film is hopeful and inspiring.