The Pronoun Heard ‘Round the World

I. Me. You. He. She. They. Myself. Yourself. Ourselves.

Pronouns were introduced to me back in grade school as stand-ins for nouns, proxies for actual words or phrases that have already been mentioned in the sentence or don’t need a specific label. Their main function seemed to be that of moving a sentence along…it’s just a little word…no need to think about it…just keep going…hurry up…get to the end of your thought.

Pronouns have taken on a far greater significance these days. They’re now used to address the very issue of identity—answering the fundamental question of, “Who am I?” Such seemingly small words pack so much meaning into their monosyllabic forms: He. She. They.

Yet, there is a pronoun that has always packed a punch—it is the pronoun that was “heard ‘round the world”…a small word that changed modern history. It contains the very meaning of democracy: a single syllable that continues to terrify those on the right: We.

One tiny word—a pronoun, no less—says it all. It’s so significant that it’s the first word in this country’s most important document. The Constitution begins with: “We the people…”

The Constitutional Convention with George Washington as Statesman / National Archives

Of course, history has shown us that the framers of the Constitution had a very limited idea of who was included in that all inclusive “we” — it really referred only to them: white, land-owning (many slave-owning) cismen. It was an exclusive, racist, and misogynist club. The awful and bloody carnage of this country’s history is so wrapped up in this concept of “we.” Who is included in that small, yet mighty, word? What clues might be found in the Constitution to help answer that question? Let’s see what the Preamble tells us:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

There is nothing that limits the parameters of “we” in what is basically this country’s mission statement. There are those who claim to be constitutional “originalists”—those in the Federalist Society, for example—who believe that the meaning of the Constitution is frozen in amber. This is a belief completely at odds with both the progression of time and the progression of democracy.

There has always been an innate struggle in this country’s history between the “we the people” of the Framers and “we the people” of the now. Boiled down to its essence, this fight could be labeled as simply “exclusion vs. inclusion.” But, returning to the direct evidence before us, the Constitution begins with the most inclusive of words: “We the People.” It doesn’t start with “Some of Us.” It could be said that so many of the struggles in this country’s history are battles over who is to be included within what I’d like to call “The Circle of We.”

The Circle of We

Currently, the United States is locked in an ideological battle over what defines the “Circle of We” and who is to be allowed inside of it. One side—the MAGA side—displays a circle that has a limited, tightly drawn circumference of “me first” and is constructed out of a literal wall to keep their “unwanted” out. At the center of their circle is exclusion and white supremacy. The other side—the mainstream progressive side—displays a circle that has an ever-expanding circumference of “us” and holds inclusion and diversity at its center. As the “Circle of We” grows it continually reinforces the meaning of democracy as exemplified in this country’s credo: e pluribus unum, or “Out of the many, one.”

A democracy is a collective in which we all must participate. The reactive and anti-collective forces of conservatism have always been at odds with the naturally progressive forces of democracy. “Out of the many, one” terrifies those on the right and always has. They want to keep “the many” as small—and as white—as possible. The only way to combat this regressive view is to get out and vote. Progressive advances always win over time. The “Circle of We” does continue to slowly expand despite the continual obstacles provided by conservative forces.

An envisioned “Circle of We” / Adobe Stock

WE the people. Out of the many, ONE.

Pronouns matter. They have become a means to explore and expand the nature of identity in today’s culture; and, as history continually teaches us, culture is always ahead of politics (and, lest we forget, the arts are the vanguard of culture). The demographic shifts in the United States are changing the culture of our democracy—making it richer, more diverse, and more equal.

“The Circle of We” will continue to widen; that is the ever-forward moving arc of democracy. It has to be for our governance to survive. Those who are afraid of the natural and progressive momentum of democracy—or those who are only interested in the tightly drawn circle of “me first”—will be left behind as the country continues to move forward to its ultimate goal as set out in the Constitution’s Preamble of achieving a “more perfect union.”

Let’s continue to move forward. Vote for “turning the page” this November.