America Should Celebrate Its Heroes

You may be spying a few changes at our national parks in the near future. A New York Times article recently reported on the copious revisions underway. They are President Trump’s attempt to prune back the National Park Service’s fixation on American perpetrators and victims.

There is, naturally, furor from predictable quarters about the supposed impropriety. But Trump is right to push back against the ideology of victimhood and despair and to push instead for a celebration of greatness and heroism. The administration grasps the problem inherent in a culture fixated on victims: Role models of excellence and virtue are nowhere to be found. Images shape the will of a people. Historic monuments to heroes teach us the habits of virtue.

AJ

About the Author

Amanda Johnson

Amanda Johnson is a writer researching the history and purpose of American memorials.

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You may be spying a few changes at our national parks in the near future. A New York Times article recently reported on the copious revisions underway. They are President Trump’s attempt to prune back the National Park Service’s fixation on American perpetrators and victims.

There is, naturally, furor from predictable quarters about the supposed impropriety. But Trump is right to push back against the ideology of victimhood and despair and to push instead for a celebration of greatness and heroism. The administration grasps the problem inherent in a culture fixated on victims: Role models of excellence and virtue are nowhere to be found. Images shape the will of a people. Historic monuments to heroes teach us the habits of virtue.