“In the history of the world, never has a nation come into power, wealth and world influence as rapidly as the United States in the 20th century. The “American Century,” as some historians have labeled it, saw a union of states that had almost split apart in the 1860s rise to world power status and levels of wealth unimagined in the 19th century.”
– United Church of God website
Splash grunted in the early rays of dawn. With the leaves finally completely gone from the ring of pine, deciduous and birch trees around the perimeter of The Farm, the magic of the early light is again visible for the ninety days or so that it will take for the foliage to leap back and cloak us from the transition of morning. It is a hardly a remarkable thing to see the unshaven visages as the first fire of the morning sputters into life. If you had power and a device that was connected to the outside world, you could just go to Wiki and see what they have decided the truth is. Splash’s tablet had run down overnight, and Management at Socotra House had exhausted the priority access to bandwidth before the mid-point of the month of holidays that will carry us to a new trip to the light of Spring.
“So, we are supposed to say: “Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?”
“Knock it off. That is supposed to start with Hanukkah at the beginning of the month and represent inclusion and shared experience to all peoples of the Great Faiths.”
“But aren’t there other Faiths people think are great? And doesn’t the use of the English term Holiday reflect the term “Holy Day,” signifying adherence to something intensely spiritual?”
“It is too early this morning to do that. We could identify everyone’s idea of what ‘holy’ means and waste the rest of the day dissecting spirituality. We used to just say Merry-something and celebrate. It is a means of adapting the logical pagan response to the darkest time of the year with the fruits of the things that grew during the brightest. Just relax.”
“Fair enough. But let’s avoid spirituality and get back to what the Boss said in the memo.” Loma had printed the note from the HQ building at the head of the property that had bounced from the Chairman’s computer to the geo-synchronous satellite a couple dozen thousand miles up, back down to the device, and through the router in the Bunkroom over to the All-in-One printer, scanner and fax machine in the corner. He unfolded the sheet, glanced at it, and made the announcement. “The Boss says frame the story of what is happening to us in a way that helps people understand why everyone born before 1960 sees thing with apprehension and everyone born after that thinks this is all normal.”
“What the hell is normal? Christmas stockings, cards and good wishes?” There was a pause, since that is exactly what most of us feel.
DeMille had allowed things to get started with the first cup of Black Rifle Coffee. It provides a jolt similar to other brands of java, but used to come with the aura of support to military veterans and their strength and vitality. Of course, that campaign resulted in a caustic article in the NY Times, which now specializes in that sort of thing. The topic had come up when the coffee got low, and a decision was made to write a strong note asking the Commissary Department to consider purchasing Chock Full o’ Nuts, a certified diverse organization since the 1930s, which initial research indicated was in an American Century, at least in America. We naturally supported Black Rifle’s decision to denounce racism, hatred and bigotry that followed the Times article, since we only drink the stuff to wake up and see if there is enough product from Belmont Farms to drink once we were done with work. Or to help the work, depending on the morning cloud cover.
“The Boss liked the piece on Generational change, and why some of the stuff going on is perfectly understandable to part of the country and a mystery to others.”
“Oh, so that is the American Century thing?
“Yeah. Mom and Dad took Time magazine back in the day when they were alive and walking around. The publisher was a guy named Henry Luce. He was known as a right winger, and attempting to explain a transition from the century before, when Great Britain’s flag never had the sun set on it. Their empire was global, and people accepted the idea of the Pax Britannica as a generally good thing, peace being preferable to conflict. Unless you are in the business of producing military equipment.”
“Luce claimed the Brit Century went from 1815 to the beginning of the Great War in 1914. That week of fighting on the Somme in 1916 killed a million young people from Britain, Germany and France and sort of knocked the bottom out of a generation that otherwise would have gone out to manage the Empire.”
“So Luce claimed that the American Century began after World War One?”
“In a general way, yes. American manpower, in the person of guys like my Grandfather, went to France and provided the vigor to overcome the Germans.”
“Luce wrote the book about the American Century in 1941, right after the Japanese smacked Pearl Harbor. That is not much of a Century.”
“Come on. He wrote it before Pearl happened, and was talking about America getting into the war in Europe. Again.”
“But the conclusion of the war cemented America as the global arbiter of atomic power, culture and economics.”
“Unless you were Russian. But that experiment only went about seventy years, and the last thirty were pretty much Hollywood.”
“Well, wait. If the Brits only lasted to 1914, and America started our century in 1917 or 18, wouldn’t that mean our century was over the year before the COVID outbreak?”
Loma waved the piece of paper languidly, not caring about the political orientation of the coffee in his cup. “The Boss told us to just describe what it was, and then try to figure out what is going to happen next.”
“We just lived the good part, except for Vietnam, the struggle for Civil Rights and all that, plus having to listen to our folks btich about the Depression and getting drafted for Great Hate Two.”
“They didn’t have to go to the Somme, and what Luce was actually talking about was something remarkable that hadn’t happened yet.”
“That may be the best description so far. If the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, that made the American Century’s heyday only thirty years long. At the moment, people are saying it might be the start of a Chinese Century. Putin’s Russia is still armed to the gills and about to eat Europe. And the Iranians and the Israelis could go at each other at the drop of a hat.”
“Luce got lucky on the prediction before his generation’s definitive war. It may not work out that way in the next one.”
“Oh, for goodness sake. We are all happy, nourished and the sun is shining. Spring is coming in just three months. Everything is going to be fine.”
“And we have a wonderful holiday season in progress all around us.”
Splash looked like he might say something, but apparently decided to stay quiet, uncertain about Black Rifle Brand of Chock Full O’ Nuts. DeMille summed it up. “1919 to 2019 is the American Century. We answered the Boss’s question, life is OK, and we can end the piece by saying it might be an American Bi-Centennial coming up. We could call what is going on as a Strategic Claus. Ho Ho.”
We all decided to nod, and that seemed to make the Interns happy. And that, we think, is what is important.
Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com