Join or Die
—from the film “Join or Die”
“Wherever at the head of some new undertaking you see the government in France, or a man of rank in England, in the United States you will be sure to find an association.
—Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America”
We can save America — and ourselves.
As we’ve navigated running an organization dedicated to healing toxic polarization during the most fractious time in American history since, well, the Civil War (we really did voluntarily sign up for that), we’ve been schooled in the nature of human psychology, our groupish nature and the societal factors that lower or raise our national estrangement. This hard-scrap education has kept leading us back to the same conclusion — one that seems to be increasingly supported by scholars and wise leaders from across the political spectrum — fixing this ultimately is a bottom-up endeavor, one that we citizens ultimately have more control over than divisive leaders want us to know. It will be in hometowns like this one, between people like us, where a new spirit will take hold — then spread sideways.
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That means we’d better stop waiting around for someone else to save us. (Think we’re overstating our case? Read this recent Nicholas Kristof piece. We’ve got no Minister of Loneliness or Chatty Benches, but we’ve got The Village Square.)
This year’s Dinner at the Square season features two inspiring guests who show us how and remind us why the cure isn’t just doable, it’s how we save ourselves too. On October 17th Dr. Todd Rose, author of “Collective Illusions,” will help us understand the reasons we’re caught inside a cycle of making tragically incorrect judgements about each other and show us the way out. On March 5th, Johns Hopkins University’s Seth Kaplan will be our sherpa through “an urgent exploration of why American society is in trouble, and how to fix it, starting with the places we call home.” Seth’s “Fragile Neighborhoods” (out in October) will convince you that this hometown we share has everything to do with the lives we live inside of it. (And we’re not just going to be talking, we’ll be building—page down for our clubs.)
We hope you’ll join us all year in our devoted pursuit of a Tallahassee where we all belong — left, right, black, white, rich, poor, young, old. All of us. You can start simply by joining us for dinner. Click here to buy season tickets (saves you $10 off the price of two dinners individually). Page down on this page to learn more about each individual dinner program and to buy tickets to one of them.
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2023-24 Dinner Series
Fragile Neighborhoods
Collective Illusions
Join or Die: The Legend Dr. Robert Putnam joins us
Iconic political scientist Dr. Robert Putnam first sounded the alarm about a half century of declining social capital in Bowling Alone, now he’s teaming up with his co-author of “The Upswing” Shaylyn Romney Garrett to convince us we can save America.
Taking “Join or Die” seriously in TLH, Fla.
From the beginning of our republic, as observed by Alexis de Tocqueville in his first visit to America, we’ve been a nation full of joiners. What happens when a nation of joiners just stops joining? We’re going to defy the trend and host groups for you to join all year.
Join or Die: A Special Feature Film Screening Event
In the background of the American story — behind the presidents, the wars, the scientific breakthroughs and social movements — are clubs. But what happens when a country full of joiners just stops joining? A film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it.
Seth Kaplan: Fragile Neighborhoods
Join us as we welcome Seth Kaplan, author of “Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society One Zip Code at a Time” for an urgent exploration of why American society is in trouble, and how to fix it, starting with the places we call home.
Live as brothers or perish as fools
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last book reaches out as a plea to us across more than half a century. Learn why we’re launching “Join or Die” in observance of this anniversary.
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