Coronavirus era needs the spirit of Greatest Generation

It’s no secret that Americans are deeply polarized politically. But one would think that a crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic would strengthen the concepts of “the national good” and working together for a common cause. One would be wrong. Though early mixed messages from health officials did much to hobble the notion that masks were an important part of halting the spread of COVID-19, by now, their efficacy is clear. And yet, there are still those who refuse to wear them, in the belief that doing so infringes on their individual freedom, will make them look weak or betrays their political views.

Reopening is meant to be done gradually, as frustrating as that is, to prevent a surge in cases.

But some states went all-in, and bars filled up with patrons, parties were held, crowds thronged newly opened beaches. And new cases of the coronavirus soared.

At least 19 states have paused or rolled back their reopening plans in response to a surge in new infections.

California has had more than 222,000 coronavirus cases — about half of which are in Los Angeles County. Florida is reporting thousands of new cases a day and recently set a new one-day record for infections.

The idea that one’s actions could help save another from becoming sick or even dying is somehow beside the point. Acting as if things are fine does not make them so. Throwing a party for 50, drinking in a packed bar for hours doesn’t create a bubble of immunity, however much one wishes it were true.

We weren’t always like this. During World War II, the “home front” did its bit to help the country win its battles abroad. The concept that “we’re all in this together” meant something back then.

The U.S. Office of Civilian Defense put out a handy little guide in 1942 called “What Can I Do? The Citizen’s Handbook for War.”

We call it recycling today, but back then “scrap collecting” was key to amassing materials needed for the war effort. Drives were organized to collect rubber, tin, newspaper, lumber and other items. No effort was too small: Women collected cooking fat (raw material for explosives), kids made balls of aluminum foil from gum wrappers. There were victory gardens at schools, and volunteers in every community.

The phrase “We the people” springs to mind.

Yes, there were horrendous events as well — internment camps, rampant racism — and no amount of patriotic camaraderie can downplay or erase them.

But as a whole, America could muster a collective spirit, one that’s very much in retreat today.

It is “critical” that Americans “take the personal responsibility to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and embrace the universal use of face coverings,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said earlier this week.

“Taking personal responsibility” would have been a no-brainer for the WWII generation. When times were tough, you dealt with them — like food rationing. You wouldn’t have seen protests against civil defense volunteerism as government encroachment or refusal to put up blackout curtains as infringing on personal rights.

We will get through this, by the skin of our teeth. There will be spikes, and closings, and reopenings. And one day, hopefully soon, a vaccine.

And standing out among the throngs of mask-nixers and rulebenders, people who do care about the common good. We need them more than ever.