A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed by Caroline Aiken Koster, A Summer Break From American Disunity, illustrated a widespread confusion about what’s wrong with us these days.  It was a touching essay, and I am all for unity, but I think a mild demurral is needed.

Mrs. Koster, a New York attorney, writes that in the 1970’s, “we seemed more unified by our flag and anthem.  They represented all Americans -- whether Team USA, Archie Bunker or Fred Sanford was on the tube.  Lately, few seem satisfied with our national emblems.  Each identity group has to rejigger what should be unifying symbols to meet its separate goals.”  But “thanks to these Olympics, the nation has recaptured our flag …. every victor has been blanketed with the same star-spangled quilt and song.”

She hopes this spirit of unity might last.

What’s wrong with wanting unity?  Nothing whatsoever.  The problem lies in the underlying assumption:  That we have lost national unity because we no longer cherish it, and that we should all begin wanting it again so that we will have it again.

But no, the problem isn’t that we don’t all want unity.  What is it, then?  It would be closer to the truth – though still not quite true -- to say that our problem is that we all want different unities.  Progressives want everyone to be progressive, conservatives want everyone to be conservative.  Feminists want everyone to unite for abortion on demand, pro-life advocates want everyone to unite to protect mothers along with their babies.

But that’s not it either.  There will always be conflict and disagreement.  Wanting to become the majority isn’t bad in itself.  Conflict doesn’t threaten unity so long as we commit ourselves to rules that give each side a chance to persuade the others of what it takes to be the truth.

The real threat to unity is that in our day, one side has given up that commitment.  It wants to bludgeon, coerce, and hoodwink the rest of us into the kind of unity it wants.  Schoolchildren are indoctrinated into wokeism and parents are kept in the dark.  Opposing opinions are labelled as misinformation and suppressed.  Checks and balances are unraveled or ignored.  Opponents are sued and charged with crimes, even when the crimes must be invented.  Lying in a "good" cause is approved, and among our elites, the very idea of freedom of debate is in disfavor.

So it means much less than we think if we and our athletes blanket ourselves with the flag for a few days instead of burning it.  What matters is what we take that blanket to mean.  Don’t answer “unity.”  Ask unity in what, and how won.