| | Myth & Reality
Myths in Contemporary Politics
In the final minutes of the 1950 movie The Jackie Robinson Story, the narrator boldly declares that America is a land "where every child has the opportunity to become president or play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers." In many respects the quote best reflects our meaning of the word myth - a partial truth that is a distortion of reality. Everyone knows, of course, that no one can grow up to play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers anymore. He or she also knows that not everyone can grow up to become president of the United States. African-Americans, women, and Jews, for example, still find this achievement unattainable. Yet for many Americans the myth that anyone can be president persists.
Myths are a basic part of the American experience. Americans are raised on myths. Stories about George Washington admitting that he cut down his father's cherry tree and Abraham Lincoln reading by the light of a flickering fire are perhaps the first history we learn. Although the tale of patriotic, honest George contains strong elements of truth, according to observers of the time, Washington could sometimes be an "impossible prig." And while Lincoln did indeed rise from humble beginnings, the trials of his youth are probably greatly exaggerated, as are his patience, tolerance, and wisdom.
The sources of cherished myths are not easy to trace. Such myths come from novels, movies, television, and even textbooks. For the most part, these myths are useful; they provide Americans with heroes and a sense of national identity. In fact, the Washington and Lincoln myths speak well for the nation, reflecting as they do respect for the qualities attached to the memories of these great men.
However, myths can also blind people to reality, and as such they can be dangerous. President John F. Kennedy, speaking at the Yale University commencement in 1962, suggested that myth is a distraction everywhere - in government as in business, in politics as in economics, in foreign affairs as in domestic affairs. "The great enemy of truth," he suggested, "is very often not the lie - deliberate, contrived, and dishonest - but the myth - persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic." Thus the myth in the 1960s and early 1970s that we were winning the war in Vietnam contributed heavily to our continued fighting in that country long after it was apparent to many observers that the war was lost.
In the following pages you will encounter many myths - great and small - that give an incomplete view of the record of American government and politics. Many have served the nation well and given the American people a sense of pride in their institutions and in themselves as a people. Other myths have served the country poorly and have led to skepticism about government.
Will the contrast between myth and reality simply add to that skepticism? We think not. Although the truth is often hard to find, we argue that in the reality of American government and politics there is much cause for pride. Even difficult realities are worth your attention because there lie both the possibility for a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system and the light for constructive political change.
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