By Will Locascio
Social Capital, as prolific political scientist and author Robert Putnam puts it, is “the connections among individuals’ social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.” This statement rings blatantly obvious, yet it is one that we’ve been increasingly losing sight of for the last half century.
On Wednesday July 31, Fruita Rotary Club and Fruita for Equality hosted a documentary screening of the film “Join or Die,” a deep dive into the necessity of being involved in something, both for the fate of a dying democracy as well as for one’s individual wellness. Directed by Pete and Rebecca Davis, “Join or Die” delves into the life and career of Robert Putnam, author of the groundbreaking book “Bowling Alone,” in which he prophesied the fate of America through an evident rapid, unflinching decline in social capital leading to lower life expectancies, a lack of trust on both a communal and governmental level, and higher crime rates.
Putnam’s work was initiated, surprisingly, in Italy during a period of major political reform beginning in the mid-70s in which political power was localized from a dominating central government and broken into more unique, individual regions, primarily in government areas that pertained to social programs and institutions like education, child care, and healthcare. This study revealed that the most successful of these localized governments were the ones that fostered the most successful, public-pleasing social programs, resulting in a higher social capital for the region. Putnam took this groundbreaking study, applied it to research surrounding the rise and fall of social groups and of people in America having the attitude of being a “joiner,” to ultimately arrive at the conclusion that as a democracy, it is absolutely necessary that Americans join groups and build a sense of community.
“Joining a club or social group cuts one’s chances of dying within the next year by nearly 50%.”
Robert Putnam, Join of Die
The documentary noted that organized religion is one of the most significant arenas of building social capital in a society. This involves a community having tolerance and accessible places of worship for all religions within that community. Per the “Join or Die” website, from the 1960s to the 2020s there has been a 35% decline in religious congregation membership, and from the 1970s to the 1990s there was a 50% decline in the number of Americans that attended a club meeting within the previous year.
It seems that as these declines in membership and communal participation have taken root in the modern American mindset, the archetype of a leader has become increasingly rare. Essentially, if we are struggling as a whole to even get out and participate in local happenings and groups that are centered around pursuits of passion or great shared interest, it will become more unlikely that leaders stand out to rally community and make attempts at significant social change.
“Join or Die” noted the backlash aimed at Putnam’s “Bowling Alone.” Initially published as a short form article on his study, the discourse around “Bowling Alone” soon gained momentum, and as a result, the doubt and frenzy to label Putnam a mere doomsday predictor came flooding in. Those critical of Putnam’s study stated that he centered his research around clubs and social institutions that were going out of style, and that the American people weren’t lacking in participation, but rather participation was seeping away from the old and gravitating towards the new. Putnam detailed a period of despair, believing that he had inadvertently caused a panic surrounding research that may be faulty or incomplete. Rather than relenting to the backlash, five years of intensive research were funneled into the now incredibly well-renowned long form book adaptation of the “Bowling Alone” study.
A fascinating bit of research that worked towards refuting the points made by those criticizing Putnam’s initial work was the analysis of environments in which children from low-income backgrounds were able to pull themselves out of that cycle and break into more specialized and healthy social spheres professionally, culturally, and socially. Social capital was measured by community interaction and quality of social programs in different communities and sections of America. It was irrefutable in its results that children of similar socioeconomic backgrounds were able to break away from poverty and into more stable and healthy ground when being raised in areas that fostered a more positive social capital.
Throughout the course of the documentary, I could not help but consider how significant of a problem declining social capital feels to me in the context of the Western Slope. Throughout the course of my undergraduate degree, club participation and attendance at Colorado Mesa University felt nearly nonexistent. In my journalistic endeavors for the school’s Criterion newspaper, I found myself in conversations with Vice President Jody Diers in which she expressed similar concerns about placing a newfound emphasis on getting students out of their dorms and involved in some type of organized group, no matter how informal, somewhere on campus.
“Join or Die” included several clips of Putnam’s speeches throughout his career in which he proclaims that joining a club or social group cuts one’s chances of dying within the next year by nearly 50%.
Karen Leonhart, a key member of Fruita’s Rotary Club, organized this documentary screening at the Rocky Mountain PBS building in Fruita. Speaking to her, she expressed the importance of community for her in the small-town setting of Fruita. She noted that despite the relatively small group that makes up their Rotary Club (about 12 regular members) it is a strong and committed group that is constantly making strides towards uniting the community through these kinds of events.
Leonhart ran the screening alongside her friend and colleague Mckenzie Kimball, currently operating the Fruita for Equality group, another small community organization boasting a mission statement of “promoting and supporting equality, inclusivity, and diversity through meaningful conversations and action in our community.”
It has been my experience in the Western Slope, particularly Grand Junction, that social capital feels rather low. However, it is undeniable that social capital nationwide has been on an even more concerning downfall since the Covid pandemic than it was when Putnam was researching his book in the late 90s through the mid-2000s. Leonhart and Kimball gave two interesting perspectives on social capital in Fruita. Leonhart attested to her belief that Fruita, being the small community it is, is an area with high social capital. She said that due to the tight-knit nature of the area, it is easy to find groups to get involved with and build relationships. Kimball noted that although Fruita is tight knit in the way that you can recognize a friendly face most places that you go, it still feels like a struggle to get people involved in the community in any deeper or more meaningful way than a wave hello or brief conversation at the grocery store. Kimball did note that Fruita’s Lithic Bookstore, the meeting place every second Wednesday of the month for Fruita for Equality’s Community Conversations gathering, has been a hotspot for fostering important cultural and social discussions and group events within Fruita. Coincidentally, Lithic Books is also where I was introduced to The Revolutionist and began pursuing these monthly pieces. It does feel vital for a community to have a gathering place such as Lithic that lacks the restrictive strings of the formality of a government office or board room and leans much more heavily into an air of comfort, taste, and welcoming for anyone interested in breaking into a new group or community.
After growing up just outside of downtown Denver, when I moved to Grand Junction in 2021, I remember being shocked that the city did not have a community rec center. Growing up, rec centers were often the place to be in order to meet people, take random classes, work out, or just hang around. I feel like Grand Junction making it all the way to mid-2023 before finally approving the bill to begin construction on our first community rec center speaks quite heavily towards the stunted growth of social capital in the area that I’ve felt in my time living here. As communities adapt and rebuild their social constructions in the time of an ever-changing landscape of technology and post-pandemic attitudes, now seems like a better time than ever to consider the implications and weight of “Join or Die.”
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