July 4, 2012 by Erin

Allusion

Ordinary things are more valuable than extraordinary things; nay, they are more extraordinary. –G.K. Chesterton

In celebration of Independence Day, today I went to see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at the Kentucky Theater (which, incidentally, has become one of my new favorite places). This 1939 Frank Capra film is wonderful for a couple reasons. First, Jimmy Stewart. (Need I say more?) Second, Capra’s characteristic emphasis on the importance of the ordinary person.

The movie is about America, really, and what it means to be American. We get a David vs Goliath setup as our loveable, bumbling Jefferson Smith finds himself in Congress, fighting against a corrupt political machine. He’s just a regular guy, standing for “plain, decent, every day, common rightness.” Capra knew as well as we do that these are not words we would use to describe the United States Government. But what he shows us through Smith’s uphill battle is that, in the end, that’s what America is about.

Now before anyone can accuse me of being overly nationalistic, let’s jump across the pond. In perhaps my favorite chapter of any book EVER, G.K. Chesterton gives a short but powerful exposition on democracy. He says this: “In short, the democratic faith is this: that the most terribly important things must be left to ordinary men themselves – the mating of the sexes, the rearing of the young, and the laws of the state. This is democracy; and in this I have always believed.” I quite agree. I love Chesterton’s writings because he never escapes the wonder in the ordinary. Life is magical. Mere existence is shocking and wonderful. And, normal people, in all their working, loving, laughing mess, matter more than anything else in the world. I think Frank Capra may have read Chesterton, because this same theme runs through his films. (This is the man who brought us It’s a Wonderful Life, after all.)

Chesterton’s right – democracy was built on reverence for the common man. America, I think, despite its many flaws, embodies this. It’s why we vote. It’s why we stand when the jury enters a courtroom. It’s even the reason for something as seemingly ludicrous as the electoral college. “We the people” may be the most stirring words in any political document.

This is, of course, the ideal. And we very often fall short. When I look at the political landscape and feel like I have to choose between big government and big business, or when I see law-makers pandering to lobbyists, I do wonder whether the voice of the common man can still be heard. But for all that, it’s still amazing that we have a nation built on these ideas at all. We the people still have a voice – not many in history have been able to say that.

So I know that America is not Jesus. And I know that being born here doesn’t make me better than someone born in India. But heck yes I’m patriotic. To celebrate America is to celebrate the dignity and significance of ordinary people. I’ll raise my glass to that every time.