as read by John Wayne, 1973
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The hyphen.
Webster’s dictionary defines as a symbol used to divide a compound word
or a single word.
So it seems to me that when a man calls himself
Afro-American or Mexican-American or Italian-American or Irish-American or
Jewish-American, what he’s saying is “I’m a divided American.”
Well, we all came from other places, different creeds,
different races, to form a nation, to become as one. Yet look at the harm a line has done, a simple little line, and,
yet, as divisive as a line can get. A
crooked cross the Nazis flew, and the Russian hammer and sickle, too – time
bombs in the lives of Man.
But none of these could ever fan the flames of hatred faster
than the hyphen.
The Russian hammer built a wall that locks men’s hearts from
freedom’s call. The crooked cross flew
overhead above 20 million tragic dead, among them, men from this great nation
who died for Freedom’s preservation.
A hyphen is a line that’s small. It can be a bridge or it can be a wall. A bridge can save you lots of time; a wall you always have to
climb.
The road to Liberty lies true. The hyphen’s use is up to you.
Used as a bridge, it can span all the differences of
Man. Being free in mind and soul should
be our most important goal.
But, if you use the hyphen as a wall, you’ll make your life
mean and small.
An American is a special breed whose People came to her in
need. They came to her that they might
find a world where they’d have peace of mind, where men are equal, and (something
more), stand taller than they stood before.
So you be wise in your decision, and that little line won’t
cause division. Let’s join hands with
one another, for in this land, each man’s your brother. United we stand; divided we fall.
We’re Americans.
That says it all.
See also “An American” by
Theodore Roosevelt, 1907