Dear Mr. President:

Adolescents tend to have a fresh perspective on our society; we have not yet fully formed our interpretations of society. Recently, I came across a situation that opened my eyes to a certain aspect about American culture: I saw footage from outside a political rally. When I saw people shouting and screeching in such an immense crowd - while others were also screaming and shrieking back at them, neither one side nor the other listening to the other - not a single person among the massive crowd trying to understand the other side’s argument, each side bellowing their opinion without justifying their stance, I realized that deep social divisions within this country are tearing people apart. After thinking about it some more, I came to a conclusion: only having these partitions between groups without any interconnections impairs our society.

Now I know that some might misinterpret my meaning, and assume that I am calling all diversity injurious; in fact, I believe diversity is one of the elements that makes our country so wonderful. I am only arguing against multiplicity without cooperation. People just cannot seem to work together to resolve their issues. After the dreadful killing of Michael Brown by a police officer, as well as after other similar situations, many people chose to riot rather than to engage in peaceful protest in order to stand up against the issue of racism that this murder stirred up. Instead of calmly discussing the problem, they violently lashed out against the police, making a lousy situation even worse.

This lack of cooperation would be disastrous if any serious global crisis materialized. The world does seem to be on the cusp of a crisis, from the war brewing over the Middle East to the recent election raising questions about the future of our country. In such times of crisis, cooperation within a country is most necessary; the moral of Aesop’s fable – united we stand, divided we fall - applies here. A nation is stronger unified than stratified.

Also, today’s attitude of division contradicts the values upon which our nation was founded. The founding fathers only turned to war when all else failed; they sent letters to Parliament, petitions to the King, and emissaries to the British, all to beg the English to listen to their complaints. Nothing worked. The sole reason they declared independence was that England was not listening to reason and logic; and yet, today in America, people turn to violence before reason. America has not always been the most unified country, but that does not justify the present attitude. As Americans, we should strive every day to become better than on the day before. We have a duty to our country to heal the deep social divisions that are tearing the country apart, so we can honestly call ourselves the United States of America.

Now I know what you are thinking: “What does this have to do with me? How can I possibly change the social attitude of an entire country?” The answer is simple. As President, you are arguably the most important person in America. You are the person the citizens turn to in times of crisis, you are the person people associate with America, and most importantly, you are a role model that many Americans aspire towards. You can lead the American people down the path of coexistence by your example. And so I present to you this challenge, Mr. President: promote cooperation, promote reason, and promote unity throughout your term.

Sincerely,

Seth

Bibliography

"Civility in Modern Society." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=GALE%7CZGTNFH395263587&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999314&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=bc9a9a85c4811c22ccac7430d34a282c. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

"Overview - Race Relations." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVYM&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3021900140&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=&source=Bookmark&u=lafa43079&jsid=8639cce061b65085963e096fd9bc13ab. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.

"Riots in the US." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=Reference&currPage=&scanId=&query=&source=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&mode=view&catId=GALE%7CTJTFGD813817701&u=lafa43079&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999319&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.