The Frank Forum

The last month or so has been a difficult time for the former American monoculture. No one is quite sure when it stopped, but more and more evidence of its absence is all around us. And when I say monoculture I’m not talking about demographics. I’m talking about the shared experiences that people within a land and a country, which has borders, have to remember. The traumatic version of this is still evident. If you’re a baby boomer and older, it’s the “where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?” question and if you’re Gen X or a millennial it’s “where were you on 9/11?”  These are both traumatic days for the country and a group of people called Americans. Both stretched beyond America onto the world, were experienced around the globe to varying degrees, and evidence of America’s once unchallenged role in the world. But there is also a positive version of these moments that reflect not tragedy and trauma, but joy and shared culture.  Much of this change from mono to subculture upon s

     With the annual Thanksgiving holiday only days away and the fall season rapidly coming to an end in the United States, the average American is likely looking forward to quality time spent with family, friends, and a hearty feast. While the spirit of gratefulness and the thankful nature of the holiday is frequently stated in advertisements and on products, it is a safe bet to state that the majority of Americans are unaware of the true origins, reasoning, and intentions of the uniquely American holiday. In years past, school children would often learn about the "first thanksgiving" while attending grammar school all over the country. Tales of the Pilgrims sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and eventually landing at Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, "Squanto" the Native American, and other historic figures and themes usually comprised the story. Recently, many activists on the left wing of the political spectrum in the media, public office and especially academia have

We live in a post-reason world, where the lines between reality and parody are increasingly blurred.   Perhaps that's overly cynical, but look at this headline from CBS News : Pardon me? Did I read that right? Yes...unfortunately, I did.  At just 95 years young, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, an erstwhile sex therapist and talk show personality, has been appointed "ambassador to loneliness" by New York Governor, Kathy Hochul.  I know what you're thinking: surely this must be an Onion  headline, or perhaps something from Babylon Bee. But no, this is actually happening.  So, will Westheimer, who told the New York Times last summer that she will "still talk about orgasms", be the person to cure our current societal malady of social disengagement and loneliness? Well, according to Governor Hochul, this is "just what the doctor ordered". What a joke... But Hochul, while perhaps well-intentioned, isn't the first to suggest a top-down government-centric solut