American Gods

On this day forty-eight years ago, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States and gave the famous inaugural speech that included the line “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Whether in a response to the Republican takeover in November or the tribute image today on Google (which regularly modifies its logo to mark historical remembrances), many of my friends on Facebook opted to note the anniversary and post Kennedy quotes in their status updates. Reverence and remembrance is usually reserved for a nice round number; for example thirty, which is how many years have passed since the assassination of John Lennon, which was marked last month (December 8th) with no small amount of tributes far and wide.

I’m here not to talk about these men, though, but rather the whitewashing that occurs when we pay tribute to them.

Americans aren’t the only culture to deify its historical figures, but it’s still a surprising practice given our propensity towards “straight shooting.” You’d think a nation that takes such pride in “calling them like we see them” wouldn’t casually glean over less desirable aspects of a person’s life and personality, and even go so far as to deny they were capable of any wrongdoing. Glenn Beck, whose love for the Founding Fathers leads to him regularly exclude and revise facts to fit his rose-colored view of them, is the most obvious example, but he’s only continuing a proud tradition of ignorance in the name of misguided praise.

But as much as we’d like to pretend these men were beyond repute, they were far from perfect.  Many of the Founding Fathers owned slaves. Lennon was a cantakerous personality at times, was a notoriously terrible husband to his first wife, and broke up the Beatles (despite conventional wisdom which unfairly blames Yoko). Kennedy was a notorious womanizer and a bit of a warhawk who brought us into the Vietnam conflict.

I point out these faults not to disparage them, but because acknowledgement of their faults is essential. It provides a clearer picture and understanding of not only who these men are, but what kind of times they lived in.

More importantly, these facts can enhance – rather than negate – their accomplishments. Despite counting slave owners among its members, the Founding Fathers helped shape our nation and paved the way for our Constitution which, while an imperfect document, is the most enduring of its kind. Lennon created fantastic music that changed not only the industry but the lives of his many fans. Kennedy’s support of Civil Rights and the space program helped usher in great achievements in both areas.

Deifying Lennon, Kennedy, and the Founding Fathers isn’t just dishonest, it’s a disservice to the individuals and their accomplishments. We need to acknowledge their failings, for it is faults and mistakes that make us human beings.

Gods and myths are unrelatable and untouchable. By acknowledging their humanity, we give them not only the benefit of context, but also hope that we can affect change in our own world. If people like John Lennon, John Kennedy, and Thomas Jefferson can make such great contributions despite their personal flaws, then surely we can affect some change ourselves.