Children who hawked New York newspapers went on strike in 1899 to protest their higher costs of buying papers. This May Day, appropriately, my family viewed the idealized play based on that history, “Newsies,” performed by children through the Arts Hub in Lafayette.

As my family recently had watched the documentary “Join or Die” based on the work of political scientist Robert Putnam, I was struck by how the play, produced by a nonprofit club to tell a story about union organizing, doubly illustrates Putnam’s themes of the importance of social groups to generate what he calls “social capital.”

As the documentary reviews, Putnam started working on the idea of social capital when, in Italy, he found that robust social engagement predicted healthier regional democratic governance. What about the United States? Putnam started finding troubling trends of declining social engagement such as in clubs, unions, and churches.

Putnam wrote up his findings in an article titled “Bowling Alone,” a reference to the decline of bowling leagues. Then, partly in response to critics, Putnam, working with a team of researchers (an interesting counterexample to the theme of his work), Putnam expanded his research for the 2000 book “Bowling Alone.” More recently, Putnam looked at earlier trends of more-robust social engagement in the book “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.”

Crossing the social divide

I don’t need to tell you that our society has become dangerously polarized. Many Republicans, including the president, have excused the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Many demonize and seek to scapegoat immigrants and transgender people. Even as they proclaim the Constitution, they erode the principles of free speech, due process, and cruelty-free punishments. Meanwhile, many Colorado Democrats also demonize their political opponents, cozy up to dangerous zealots, and trample our basic liberties.

Putnam points the way toward healing our social divides and creating healthier communities: Join quality groups and spend more time socializing face-to-face. Turn off the television, even if one day a week. Put your phone down and talk with people, including people with different backgrounds and ideas. Cut down on social media (often more aptly called antisocial media) and even delete it from your phone. And join a club or informal group; shake more people’s hands; have more meaningful conversations face-to-face; and work together to fix things, help people, and solve problems.

I’ve felt the difference of more interaction. I’ve attended initial meetings of YIMBY North Metro Denver, a new group devoted to expanding housing. We talk about housing, and we also talk across ideological divides to find the broader values that connect us. At homeschool events, while the kids play, parents discuss education, personal hobbies, career or life challenges, and politics. I started playing in free poker leagues again after a long absence, and I’ve seen how such groups foster friendships and even romance, generate fundraisers, and bring together people of diverse backgrounds.

Benjamin Franklin organized the Junto Club to discuss ideas and improve the community. Today we need more Franklin-style societies to promote self-improvement through knowledge, friendly society, and good works.

Social clubs in Colorado

Appropriately, last year the Denver Metro South Rotary Club sponsored a screening of “Join or Die.” Recently the Rocky Mountain Harvard University Club also organized a screening at the Denver Press Club. The Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation will host a screening this summer. Such events illustrate increased interest in rejuvenating America’s social fabric.

Colorado, like all places, has a rich history of social clubs (ChatGPT generated a quick list of examples). The Denver Fortnightly Club for women, organized in 1881 and still active, aims “to organize a society for mutual benefit in study and thought.” The Owl Club of Denver continues to promote African American community and honor the achievements of young women. I’ve discussed the black Gun and Rod Club. A search for “club” in the Colorado historic newspaper archives generates over two million results (not all relevant) with mentions of the Douglas County Cricket Club, the Papoose Club, the Colorado Mountain Club, the Elks Club, a coalition of women’s clubs to preserve Mesa Verde, 4-H, and countless others.

Social organizing can have a dark side. I’ve written about the rise of the KKK in Colorado a century ago. More recently, a tightly-knit group of white supremacists murdered Denver talk radio host Alan Berg. Even in the case of the “newsies” strike, some participants engaged in violence. If people can promote empathy and thoughtfulness in groups, they also can spread hatred and lies. So we need to approach our social efforts with reflection and integrity.

I hope that America’s best days are ahead. You and I can play a role in building a better future. Let’s join.

Ari Armstrong writes regularly for Complete Colorado and is the author of books about Ayn Rand, Harry Potter, and classical liberalism. He can be reached at ari at ariarmstrong dot com.