Who knew joining a social club could invigorate our nation’s democracy?
The feature event of the fall 2024 edition of Merrimack College’s Unity in Diversity Days included a screening in the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher of “Join or Die,” a documentary on the work of political scientist Robert Putnam. The film is currently available to stream on Netflix.
A panel discussion was held following the screening and included Rebecca Davis; the film’s producer and director, Stephanie Garrone-Shufran, associate professor of education in the School of Education and Social Policy and Alvin Morton, associate professor in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Putnam is best known for his blockbuster book, “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.” His work examines declining enrollment in social clubs, religious groups, volunteer networks and labor unions in the U.S., and its correlation with individual mental health and democracy as a whole.
“We’re trying to host conversations about democracy and how important having a strong community is for our personal health and our country,” Davis told attendees.
The three panelists discussed their thoughts on the current loneliness epidemic and its impact on college-aged students.
“Many of us were raised very differently than people 20 years ago,” Garrone-Shufran explained. “We had less freedom and everything was very planned. It might make it hard for us to go out and make those plans on our own.”
Garrone-Shufran’s research covers teachers and their ability to advocate for the well-being of their students, particularly children from marginalized groups. The strength of the surrounding community, she found, plays a large part in how empathetic teachers are.
“The base of empathy is caring for other people,” she explained. “If you can’t connect to people, you can’t care for them.”
While studying physical activity within underserved populations, Morton found how important face-to-face relationships can be to one’s physical and mental health.
“For the most part, we found that people have a hard time finding motivation (to exercise),” he said. “What we also see is that when people see another person or a friend do something positive, they’re more inclined to do the same thing.”
Evolving technologies, Morton argued, have made it easier to self-isolate, making it harder for people to break out of unhealthy habits without having a strong community behind them.
“Most of us spend a lot of time on our cell phones,” he said. “People feel less comfortable to go out because there may be fear of rejection.”
While technology can disconnect people from the outside world, Davis argued that it’s not always the case. Technology is a tool, she said, and we can choose to use it in a healthy way.
“When you get off of it, do you feel great afterward?,” she asked. “Did it feel like it helped you remain in touch with people you have actual connections within the real world? That is the type of investigation we need to do with all of our technology.”
Held once a semester, Merrimack College’s Unity in Diversity Days features a diverse group of community scholars, leaders, artists and advocates, designed to broaden and deepen our understanding of systemic inequalities and intersecting identities. Held once a semester, the campus-wide program is sponsored by President Christopher E. Hopey, Ph.D.’s Initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisory council in collaboration with the Unity in Diversity Days Planning Committee, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Intercultural Initiatives and the Office of Counseling and Wellness Education.
