These days, conventional wisdom states that as a society we are becoming more and more isolated and that this is a problem. I agree with both points. But the reasons that are offered up as to why this is happening are mostly bunk.
Here’s my reason why: What is isolating us is the losing of our national and local identities. These identities give us a sense of community, that we belong to something larger than ourselves that includes everyone around us, each striving for a common purpose: the success of our community and with it our nation. We are no longer taught to think of ourselves as Americans or New Yorkers, instead we are taught to think of ourselves as separate entities divided by race or class or politics, at odds with those different than us. Isolation is the fruit of multiculturalism, class consciousness, and blind partisanship.