Finding community in a time of isolation

If Robert Putnam was worried enough to write a book about it 25 years ago, he’s even more so now.  

The political scientist spoke Sept. 15 at the University of Montana on “Making Democracy Work” — a tall order for which he has a few ideas.

Many center on social capital, the web of human connections that help advance the goals of individuals and groups.

The steady decline in social capital, detailed in Putnam’s “Bowling Alone,” highlights the hazards of reduced social networks, the kind that existed before social media platforms hijacked the term and reversed them in meaning and impact.

In Missoula, Putnam said Americans have reached historic levels of economic inequality, social isolation, cultural self-centeredness and political polarization. In his lifetime Americans have experienced the most economic equality (the mid-1960s, on par with Sweden) to its least. 

He wonders how Americans can come to understand that “if someone else is in bad shape, I gotta worry about that.” 

In these low-compassion times, Putnam dialed in on main causes and antidotes: 

• A shriveled sense of “we:” humans can seek out more of a sense of belonging more often “using technology only as a minor tool” 
• Class-based social isolation: a range of clubs and activities gathering all kinds of people 
• Absence of recognition: Putnam called out Hillary Clinton’s use of “deplorables” as disrespectful 

Putnam said Montanans are well-positioned to rebuild community, observing that “Montana became the leader in a whole bunch of social and economic reforms” in the last century. Historically, Montana voters often engage in ticket splitting, which shows independent thinking.

Bedrock principles for improvement: “It’s got to be fun, and develop concern for others.”  

A week later I trundle into the monthly meeting of Glacier Stamp Club. The signs pointing the way are homemade and hard to read from farther than a few feet away. Get closer, they seem to demand. 

Inside, three people await and welcome me warmly. They acknowledge the small size of the group, but as member Scott Hooper says, “There’s probably even fewer people at the email collectors’ club.” 

For the show and tell, Dick Reedquist brings his Peanuts stamps and rants a bit about spray-on cancelations. He still has four more designs to find in the series. 

Hooper passes around a 1970 souvenir card of the Pilgrim Tercentenary issued by the U.S. Postal Service in London, of all places. 

Dave Manuwal shows a dozen-plus Warren G. Harding stamps. We muse about the philatelic love shown the 29th president. However, Manuwal’s all-time fave is the 1957 whooping cranes. 

“You have to have some sense of curiosity,” Manuwal says about stamp collecting and the group. “You never know who will show up.”  

Stacking up their papers, the members discuss changing the meeting to another day, when more people might be able to attend, and the display for the post office lobby on North Meridian Road. 

Looking over my notes, I see the meeting veered from events (World War II, moon landing) to countries (Switzerland, Morocco) and hobbies (ham radio, model railroading) to postal practices (perforation, adhesives) and then wound up back in Kalispell, where we tumbled out socially capitalized to meet the evening. 

Margaret E. Davis, executive director of the Northwest Montana History Museum, can be reached at mdavis@dailyinterlake.com.