Over the last few weeks I’ve been reading Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winning author A. Scott Berg’s recent biography of Woodrow Wilson. Prior to reading this about the only thing I could tell you about Wilson was that he was our 28th president and that he slept eight to nine hours every night. Needless to say, I’ve been learning a lot. Wilson was many things: a leading public intellectual, a prominent political historian, a man of deep faith and more. There is much to like.
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But this is what recently stood out. For three years Wilson kept the US out of World War I. When he decided we had to enter in order to “make safe for democracy,” he called on everyone to play a part. People were asked to grow much of their own food (which led to Victory Gardens), business leaders were expected to cut profits and raise wages, every loyal American was asked to go “meatless” on Monday, “wheatless” on Monday and Wednesday and “sweetless” on Saturday. The list of sacrifices he expected people to make was long and significant.
I couldn’t help but compare this list with those set in front of us during the second Gulf War, which was essentially, Keep shopping. (Then President George W. Bush was concerned that if we started holding on to our money the economy would tumble.)
Wilson was a Democrat, whereas Bush was (is) a Republican. Please hear me: I am not making a partisan point here. I am only noting the growing softness of our culture. Had Bush set the kind of list in front of us that Wilson did I suspect many would have simply laughed.