Bowling Alone

"Join or Die" is a documentary on Netflix which deals with the topic of social capital. From 1910 to 1960 America saw a massive increase in the joining of clubs and organizations which helped feed civic involvement. This elevated public discourse, education and involvement in politics, school boards and church groups as well as things like bowling leagues. 

The author of the book "Bowling Alone: the collapse and revival of American community" political scientist Robert Putnam was at the Kennedy inauguration and took the inaugural address to heart. Over his lifetime he proceeded to study the topic in detail to understand how civic involvement after 1960 plummeted to where it is today; the age of isolation. He is a mentor of a then very young Barack Obama who joined one of Putnam's social study groups. 

Putnam, who is now 83 and affable to a fault, takes heart because the last time civic participation was this low was during the Robber Baron era when the gap between rich and poor was extremely high which is where we are today. There is yet hope that Americans can fix the problem and go back to where they once where; where much of the world also was.

This is essential viewing.