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Time's Portrait of the American People
October 27, 2006







This week’s Time Magazine seeks to paint a literary portrait of the
American people as a prequel to the upcoming elections. The article
begins:

Some places on earth are simply too big to photograph: the Grand
Canyon, the Great Wall, Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Those
monuments don't fit in any frame; they were made--by God or
man--to overwhelm. You can visit them, snap some shots, but
something is missing when you get back home. So how do you
capture a country with 300 million independently minded and
moving pieces? Who would even try?

This article tries.  It's worth the read!!


Discussion Starters

  • Ask your child what the following words mean: "immigrant,"
    "income" and "religion." Ask if your child knows anybody
    who has moved to the United States from a different
    country. What do they know about this person? Do you
    know anybody who has moved to the United States from a
    different country? Tell your child about this person.

  • Ask your child whom he/she thinks makes the most amount
    of money in our country. Ask him/her why they think this.
    Now tell your child that radio, television and movie stars
    make the most money. Ask them if they think it’s right that
    these stars should make more money than policemen/women
    and teachers. Encourage them to support their opinions.

  • Inquire as to whether or not your child believes that people
    should have to pay for their own medical care. Is it fair that
    wealthy people should get better medical care than poor
    people simply because they can afford it? If people should
    not have to pay for their own medical care, how will the
    people who provide medical care get paid? Share your
    thoughts on this issue with your child. Explain the concept
    of health insurance to your child. This Wikipedia article
    contains a description of health insurance: http://en.wikipedia.
    org/wiki/Health_insurance

  • Invite your child to select one thing about our country that
    they would like to change. Ask them how they might go
    about changing it. Tell your child one thing about this
    country that you would like to change. How can you go
    about changing it? Have you ever been involved in a reform
    movement that sought to change something about society?
    Tell your child about this experience.
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