Politics in America is the binding secular religion.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that politics in America functions as a unifying belief system for its citizens.
Theodore White's quote highlights the central role that politics plays in American society, suggesting that it is not merely a system of governance but rather a secular religion that shapes the values, beliefs, and identity of the nation. Similar to how religion can unify people with shared beliefs and rituals, politics in America offers a framework for understanding collective interests, fostering a sense of belonging, and creating a narrative for the American experience.
In practice
In a discussion about civic engagement, one might mention, 'As Theodore White said, politics in America is like a binding secular religion.'
Generally students are the best vehicles for passing on ideas, for their thoughts are plastic and can be molded and they can adjust the ideas of old men to the shape of reality as they find it in villages and hills of China or in ghettos and suburbs of America.
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I happen to think that American politics is one of the noblest arts of mankind; and I cannot do anything else but write about it.
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