Now, at a later time, Ong himself shifted away from his earlier Greek/barbarian terminology in his "Introduction: On Saying 'We' and 'Us' to Literature" in the book Three American Literatures: Essays in Chicano, Native American, and Asian-American Literature for Teachers of American Literature, edited by Houston A. Baker, Jr. (Modern Language Association of America, 1982, pages 3-8). In his introduction, Ong, who served as president of MLA in 1978, says, "All of us want to realize ourselves as distinct person, but we also want others -- lots of others -- to know that we are our own distinct selves. We do not want to be unique all alone. Hence we negotiate. And so do cultures" (pages 3-4).
Perhaps American culture today is still engaged in negotiating with certain other cultures that many Americans previously thought of as outsiders (in Ong's 1962 terminology). In Ong's 1982 terminology, we Americans of European descent may be negotiating our identities of "we" and "us" to integrate pro-social features of American Indian tribes.
Trump has clearly been appealing to white identity politics that does not want to negotiate with the pro-social non-white political and social and cultural traditions also inside American society today. In this respect, white identity politics in American society today resembles the anti-Semitic identity politics of German Nazis.
But those white Americans today are descended from white strangers (outsiders) who were historically strangers in a strange land. Ironically, many white supporters of Trump claim to be Christians. However, like the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible contains the injunction to remember that you were once strangers (outsiders) in a strange land. But I guess that Trump's white supporters are Christians in name only (CINOs). In any event, Trump's white supporters do not appear to be ready to negotiate their white political and social and cultural identity with the pro-social features of any non-white traditions.
In conclusion, Monday, May 30, 2016, will be Memorial Day. Surely it is fitting for us to remember those American soldiers who died in combat. But Junger's new book reminds us not to forget the problems of PTSD and suicide among returning veterans of war.
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