Review of "Join or Die." Luke Newton, Washington and Lee University (W&L), Creative Investment Research.

I recently attended a screening of the documentary Join or Die, and a Q&A session with the directors of the film, Pete and Rebecca Davis. US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) also participated in the Q&A.

Join or Die explores the work of political scientist Robert Putnam and the relationship between economic prosperity and social capital. Putnam studied at Swarthmore, Oxford, Yale, and has had a successful career as a Harvard professor. He first observed the social capital phenomenon while studying regional governments in Italy, trying to explain why some worked and why some didn’t. Putnam noticed that flourishing governments always had high levels of social connection and community engagement, evident in a large number of local clubs, organizations, etc. that spanned the local community. He found that “civic engagement” was a better predictor of a successful government  than education, wealth, or any other factor. 

Upon his return, Putnam collaborated with other economists, particularly economist Glenn Loury. He honed and refined his observation, settling on the term “social capital” to represent the gain in economic productivity that can be captured through local collaboration and interpersonal networks. For instance, it may take a mechanic a few weeks to receive an engine required to fix a broken car, but if the mechanic has a relationship with a local engine manufacturer, the time it takes to repair (or produce) a car would be significantly reduced.

Studying the modern American landscape, Putnam found that cultural shifts towards individualism have resulted in increasingly lower levels of social capital being generated in America. As demonstrated in his book, Bowling Alone, Putnam aptly summarized the trend by looking at participation in bowling clubs across the country. More Americans were bowling, but, (you guessed it), they were bowling alone. Back in the 50s and 60s, bowling clubs were a major American social outlet and networking opportunity. These days, hardly any exist anymore, and Putnam found that, for any type of club/organization out there, attendance rates matched the declining trend of falling bowling club participation.

Aside from noting the push for individualism across American society following the 60s, the documentary doesn’t really give a concrete explanation as to why, even with today’s knowledge of the phenomenon, club and organization rates have yet to rebound. My theory that the documentary missed  the growth of online internet forums at chat rooms. People are still engaging with other people, yet they lack the in-person connection that is critical to forming personal relationships and thus generating observable social capital. 

I found the conversion after the screening with Surgeon General Murthy and Senator Murphy just as fascinating as the documentary. Dr. Murthy discussed the extreme emphasis he and his staff place on acknowledging and treating the mental health crisis in America, citing a large (and growing) number of Americans who are struggling with feeling alone, lost, and isolated from the world (perhaps a consequence of declining club rates). Meanwhile, Senator Murphy discussed potential legislative options to try to fix the problem, like regulating social media’s addicting algorithms and calling on parents to be more involved in ensuring their children develop healthy social media habits. I wanted to ask the Senator about the latest Congressional crackdown on TikTok and how it might make future restrictions on social media easier, but the Senator left the building too quickly after the Q&A and I wasn’t able to ask him.

Overall, this event was exceptionally memorable and I really learned a lot. I had never thought about how integral America’s clubs and social organizations were to our nation’s history and prosperity. This documentary showed several examples of how many social movements (women’s suffrage, civil rights, etc.) were started from clubs. The concept of social capital makes a lot of sense, and while I had learned about it before in introductory economics classes, I hadn't made the connection and I hope that I get to engage more with the concept academically as I progress through my program of study. Getting to listen to the Surgeon General and a US Senator was a really cool experience and one I’m not likely to forget any time soon.