TED ANTHONY
AP National Writer
As an uneasy March unspooled, as coronavirus dread descended upon the United States, it became commonplace — and, for public figures, quite practical — to point out how, unlike most major events in the 21st century, this was an unusually communal moment.
There is power and authority in invoking shared experience, whether it comes from the president ("We are all in this together"), the governor of New York ("Nobody's alone. We are all in the same situation") or a random Pittsburgh disc jockey ("Everybody's in the same boat").
Even while at odds, Americans crave shared experiences — an understandable yearning for a nation quilted together from an unlikely patchwork of backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. And shared adversity can unite people.
But as
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.