Today’s Myth: “Main Street America…”

The whole notion of “Main Street America” – a centerpiece of the 2008 Presidential campaign – is today a myth. It, unquestionably, existed in some form or another long ago, either through the paintings of Norman Rockwell or the music of Aaron Copland or the stories by John Steinbeck, Thornton Wilder and others. But that was another time in the American experience, decades upon decades ago. Main Street America that all the politicians speak of today no longer exists. It’s either run-down or boarded-up or sold-out.

The hardware store and the pharmacy are gone, driven out of business by Home Depot and Wal-mart, which are located outside town where they can take advantage of tax breaks from politicians who lured them to town. Chances are that the locally owned mill has closed or has been taken over by Cargill.

Those plants that relocated to Main Street America back in the ’70s and brought so many jobs … well, they are closed, and the jobs moved outside the U.S. in action not opposed by the politicians.

Those small, family owned farms that had surrounded Main Street America … chances are that most of them have been gobbled up by large farming conglomerates, owned by corporate giants somewhere in Asia or Europe … as the politicians looked the other way.

Of course, today, the phrase, “Main Street America,” has become a sort of code used by politicians when they want to appeal to a certain audience, and talk about places where everyone looks the same, and no one speaks with an accent. But, in reality, there is no such place. It’s just a myth.

And, so it goes. There no longer is a Main Street America that the politicians keep talking about and embracing as the ideal upon which America should strive to become … or return to. It is gone, and the politicians know it. But, many politicians know that they might have more luck getting elected by constantly talking about a myth than to speak the truth.

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