Citizenship is more than cheering for your team

Conversations about the survival and renewal of liberal democracy

The insurrection on January 6, 2021, looked a lot like a rally for a favorite team. Many people treat view their ties to their nation this way. A sports team can command loyalty, and connection with others. But you cannot build a good society of free people on such a basis.

Peter discusses how his naturalization as a U.S. citizen changed his very identity: after swearing the oath or citizenship, he felt newly responsible for the U.S., and its Constitution. Peter and Athena envision a comparable ceremony for native-born citizens: a secular coming-of-age ceremony, analogous to a bar/bat-mitzvah or Confirmation, that would bring young adults into the covenant of citizenship, and its obligations.