This American Life with Sarah and Amy Vowell

Sarah VowellҀs description relating herself to America like a battered wife to a violent husband is something, I think, everyone can relate to on some level. America is both a good country and a bad country with an Ӏambiguous past that is alternately murderous and heroic, money grubbing and idealistic.Ԁ What are we to do with those aspects of our countryҀs past? Are we to be proud or ashamed? A healthy dose of both? Call me a pessimist, but the older I get the more things I find shameful about our countryҀs actions. IҀm not unpatriotic or anti-America. I am very thankful to be a US citizen and live in this country, but I also feel very conflicted.

What struck me during this podcast is when Sarah said that in comparison to her uncle, she was free of history, so much so that she had to Ӏget in a car and drive seven states to find it.Ԁ The idea of history bearing down on people like Sarah and AmyҀs uncle, our own grandparents and great-grandparents makes me wonder whether or not it is a good thing or a bad thing to be Ӏfree of history.Ԁ In the sense that those who came before us sacrificed and suffered so that future generations could have better opportunities, I would say it is a good thing for which we ought to be forever grateful. In the sense that we do not have those stories, experiences of real work and accomplishments, that most of us do not know what it means to truly scrape out a living, that with each successive generation it seems more values are lost׀to be free of history is definitely a bad thing. Being unable to pass it on, oneҀs history will be lost in almost no time. Seeking out oneҀs history is a personal choice to make, but in this way there is truth in the statement: ӀA nation that does not know its history has no future.Ԁ

The Vowells chose to retrace their history through the experience of heritage tourism. While informative and educational, Sarah says that she only feels worse and questions their purpose in making this trip. This is around the time they make stops in Tennessee. By the time the Vowells get to their hometown and visit with their family, they feel connected to their journey. I think this is exactly what heritage tourism is good for. Making that connection with the past is important whether it be for personal reasons or out of a responsibility or obligation to be informed.