Ken Trainor in his Viewpoints column, “A world of change is coming” [April 29], enumerates a number of the innovations and progressive movements described in Rebecca Solnit’s book, The Beginning Comes After the End – Notes on a World of Change. This book describes at least a significant part of the reality for many residents of Oak Park, River Forest and, in general, the abundant top tiers of American life. But does it describe the overall U.S. reality and trends of the last half century? Is the situation not much more nuanced and negative, especially for those living outside of America’s most thriving quarter?
What the media covers is mostly focused in terms of our overall well-being on the rosy picture of GDP per capita growth. What about the other measures more focused on human flourishing? The U.S. position in the following 10 surveys has declined substantially:
1. Perceived freedom to choose one’s life – compared to OECD countries. (Gallup, ABC News)
2. Family income and asset distribution across the economic spectrum (National Bureau of Economic Research, CBO, Urban Institute, Federal Reserve, Pew, Census)
3. Preparedness of American youth to enter society – compared to other First-World countries (OECD, NCES, VOEE, the Lancet)
4. Social mobility – compared to other First-World countries (EPI, SuttonTrust, Stanford, OECD, World Economic Forum, World Population Review)
5. Numbers of Americans/American children in absolute poverty – compared to other First-World countries (Brookings, Wikipedia)
6. Percentage of jobs that are good or quality (Pew, Gallup)
7. Strength of the Common Good – compared to other First-World countries (Oxford, Stanford, Wikipedia, EBSCO, JSTOR, Manhattan Institute, Enterprise Institute)
8. Strength of Social Capital such as Trust – compared to other First-World countries (Solability, OECD, Robert Putnam)
9. Adequacy of care for the vulnerable – Children, Unemployed, Disabled, and Elderly – compared to other First-World countries (OECD, World Bank)
10. Percentage of Americans considering themselves thriving (Gallup, Census, global health organizations)
Many of us have access to great resources in Oak Park and River Forest. We are leaders and innovators in areas such as early childhood education, environmental stewardship, and community integration. Can we bring the realities of our abundant common culture to other communities in our vast country … and help reverse our overall decline? Or are we just a one-of-a-kind community, and a model only for other affluent communities?
Alex Lippitt Jr.
44-year resident of Oak Park