America is a great idea that its founders executed poorly. In their defense, they were products of their time: white, Christian, land-owning men who believed they were the epitome of creation. They weren’t, of course. But, also in their defense, their idea had merit. Human self-government is a magnificent thing! You just have to execute it properly. Alas America 1.0 cut a deal with slavery that doomed it to civil war and failure. Though we’re still picking ourselves up from the floor, America can still get this idea right! We can E Pluribus Unum ourselves out of this mess. There is an America 2.0 ahead of us!

How To Be A “Nation Of Nations”

America is unlike any country that came before. Take Germany. The nation “Germany” is the end product of two thousand years of Marcomanni, Alamanni, Franks, Angles, Saxons, Vandals, Gepids, Ostrogoths and Visigoths wrestling each other and themselves into “Germans”. The same process created France and the French, Spain and the Spanish, Switzerland and the Swiss.

European pathogens wiped out ninety percent of the continent’s original inhabitants long before most Europeans even got here. Smallpox killed more people more quickly than any gun ever could. There are no “original Americans” in this equation. We are the first ever nation of nations. That’s America’s secret sauce. It’s what makes us exceptional; American Exceptionalism is a very real thing. All the other nations of the world came here to help forge and form a new nation. We benefit from the fact of their diversity.

Diversity Is America 2.0’s Secret Sauce

Our diversity is the thing that makes America exceptional.

The sooner we pry political power from the gnarled, old clutches of white culture, the better. The stone cold truth is a huge chunk of white America has no use for democracy and never did. From their white perspective, every election is a crap shoot where white people could lose political power. The fix? Either shit-can elections or control who gets to vote. That way you will always remain in power.

That’s America 1.0 for ya!

America 2.0 is completely different. E Pluribus Unum (diversity) powers it. Keeps it simmering with youthful urgency and drive. America 2.0’s goal is to level the playing field so that literally every American stepping onto it has the same shot at The American Dream as every other American. America 2.0 is the rising tide lifting every last boat!

Which America – 1.0 Or 2.0?

Ironically, America 1.0 stands between America 2.0 and the future. That really is the choice facing America – version one from the past where slavers called the shots or a version of America from the future where diversity finally kicks America into gear and we (finally) begin to embrace our full potential.

To paraphrase some of our own advertising about ourselves, America 2.0 will be America (finally) being all that we can be. That’s not an optional upgrade, it’s mandatory.