Am I enough of a geek to acknowledge that I’m looking forward to the 2007 Edition of the On Tap Awards? Yes, I am that geeky.

Anyway, last year, when we were trying to come up with the biggest government waste of 2006, I mentioned a huge missed opportunity:

John O’Sullivan revealed that in the aftermath of 9/11, a Washington think tank urged the White House that at that unique moment of national unity, “it should be possible to mount an initiative that changes the debate on such issues as multiculturalism, the teaching of American history and civics, and the general question of American exceptionalism. Animated by generosity of spirit and without a trace of racism or xenophobia, such an initiative would have broad bi-partisan appeal and could lead to permanent cultural/political realignments.” Among their ideas:

Veterans Day should be transformed into a celebration of the “greatest generation,” who fought and won World War II — and that the Washington celebration could then be used as a teaching device in America’s schools. They proposed a presidential commission, perhaps headed by Rudy Giuliani, to develop ideas for implementing “assimilative patriotism” (an idea championed by such figures as Teddy Roosevelt) throughout American life. They advocated a “Citizenship Agency” that would teach the obligations of citizens (rather than simply dispense “services” to immigrants) as part of a wider program of celebrating citizenship. And they urged that the president regularly preside over the swearing-in of new citizens in public ceremonies “that should be dignified, inspiring, and foster patriotism.”

Today I read an idea that reminded me of that - the value of teaching American history and what unites us, in a completely different area:

It seems that whatever story I cover, people are anxious about fragmentation and longing for cohesion. This is the driving fear behind the inequality and immigration debates, behind worries of polarization and behind the entire Obama candidacy.

If you go to marketing conferences, you realize we really are in the era of the long tail. In any given industry, companies are dividing the marketplace into narrower and more segmented lifestyle niches.

Van Zandt has a way to counter all this, at least where music is concerned. He’s drawn up a high school music curriculum that tells American history through music. It would introduce students to Muddy Waters, the Mississippi Sheiks, Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers. He’s trying to use music to motivate and engage students, but most of all, he is trying to establish a canon, a common tradition that reminds students that they are inheritors of a long conversation.

And Van Zandt is doing something that is going to be increasingly necessary for foundations and civic groups. We live in an age in which the technological and commercial momentum drives fragmentation. It’s going to be necessary to set up countervailing forces — institutions that span social, class and ethnic lines.

First of all, when your music teacher is Silvio Dante from The Sopranos, you don’t just pay attention. You pay ****ing attention.

Second, this ties into a recent offline conversation between Marshall and myself - I’m worried that as time goes by, there’s less and less that unites all Americans, be it shared experiences, attitudes, beliefs, etc. I love living in a country as diverse as this, with plenty of variety in its attitudes, beliefs, etc.; but I’d like to see some sort of common ground.

A tough, fair and long lasting hit on Hillary Clinton.