Americans deserve a travel document worthy of a great nation—one that projects confidence in our heritage and national symbols rather than the dull neutrality of bureaucratic design.
You’re absolutely right: look at the USSR’s depressingly ugly and poorly constructed buildings and Chairman Mao’s dehumanizing uniforms for his entirely enslaved “citizenry.”
Beauty has no rational basis in a mechanical, god-rejecting view of the universe: only functionality or not.
What an aesthetic change (for the worse)! And, I agree with the power of symbolism and the importance of American pride in country.
My beef is that we could make a passport that has a pop-up Abraham Lincoln waving a flag and singing the Star Spangled Banner, but it would do nothing to change the way the bureaucracy behind all this is taking over and negatively affecting our lives. By bureaucracy, I mean all of it (not just government, but healthcare system, banking, etc.). I literally average several hours of every day just trying to straighten out "issues."
I recall being so impressed when my son's first passport arrived that I sent Secretary of State Hilary Clinton an email congratulating the State Department with a job well done. Such a shame this art was abandoned. Were the other pages similarly butchered?
Yes, this is definitely part of a wider and deeper trend where ultimate meaning is progressively stripped out of things, be they buildings or places or passports, in the name of increased short-term efficiency and modernity. But if we lose all sense of meaning and purpose, then what is that efficiency even for?! We need to be insisting that a sense of beauty, grace and heritage is retained in our environment at all costs. This, after all, is the stuff that makes life actually worth living.
It’s not likely unrelated to comments by American politicians that the first amendment is an impediment to consensus, as if that were a bad thing, and not the whole point of it in the first place.
Agree with this article. Well stated. But a greater concern for me is the de-valuation of U.S. citizenship by indiscriminate immigration. People from cultures that hate the US are easily admitted as refugees. Many are put on a path to citizenship without careful vetting and in spite of their refusal to adopt English or American values or assimilate. Is it part of the DSA's plan.
Thanks for that. As you say it does not seem vital but is a symptom of a decaying and rotting society. Trump is especially right about civic buildings, but only really if you don't have too many of them. When the country is full of civic buildings then they can't all be inspiring or beautiful.
So also need to massively reduce the number of Govt buildings.
The irony of this post is that the font spacing looks awful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen on a Substack post. It almost feels like it was designed by some feckless bureaucrat.
I’m doing a comparison of the old and new documents. The beef seems to be with the ID pages. Granted the older one had a big colorful eagle on it, it’s been replaced by a colored photo of the bearer with an overlay of what appears to be a finger/thumb print. The background could be better but perhaps it’s a security feature. The bearer information page on the new one is quite utilitarian and blah but there are more security features. Considering what’s going on with immigration, it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make. The visa pages still contain photos of Americana but are more pronounced and colorful. Each passport page has the passport number across the bottom, which is new. The page numbers are now far easier to see. From a user standpoint, the biggest and best change is the fact that the ID page is laminated which reduces having to page through the book to find it. And with use, this page will likely be the one that opens first. Amen.
Your first sentence makes no sense. I did not use the words spirited or dull. What I am saying is that the changes are worth it, assuming they provide more security. We’re talking passports, not wedding albums.
All of the changes of which you approve are updating and improvements which is much improved. So are you saying the change from spirited to dull is a small price to pay for improvements? Mutually exclusive? For me, I think not.
I can't unsee it now. I hope they change it back before I have to renew my passport again.
Yes, please!
Please keep us posted.
You’re absolutely right: look at the USSR’s depressingly ugly and poorly constructed buildings and Chairman Mao’s dehumanizing uniforms for his entirely enslaved “citizenry.”
Beauty has no rational basis in a mechanical, god-rejecting view of the universe: only functionality or not.
Uglification of government buildings, housing, and documents is by design, to depress patriotism and discourage citizens.
What an aesthetic change (for the worse)! And, I agree with the power of symbolism and the importance of American pride in country.
My beef is that we could make a passport that has a pop-up Abraham Lincoln waving a flag and singing the Star Spangled Banner, but it would do nothing to change the way the bureaucracy behind all this is taking over and negatively affecting our lives. By bureaucracy, I mean all of it (not just government, but healthcare system, banking, etc.). I literally average several hours of every day just trying to straighten out "issues."
Absolutely true! Tell me how all the tech in the world has been able to resolve the very issues we deal with daily.
I recall being so impressed when my son's first passport arrived that I sent Secretary of State Hilary Clinton an email congratulating the State Department with a job well done. Such a shame this art was abandoned. Were the other pages similarly butchered?
No, they are more clear and colorful.
Yes, this is definitely part of a wider and deeper trend where ultimate meaning is progressively stripped out of things, be they buildings or places or passports, in the name of increased short-term efficiency and modernity. But if we lose all sense of meaning and purpose, then what is that efficiency even for?! We need to be insisting that a sense of beauty, grace and heritage is retained in our environment at all costs. This, after all, is the stuff that makes life actually worth living.
It’s not likely unrelated to comments by American politicians that the first amendment is an impediment to consensus, as if that were a bad thing, and not the whole point of it in the first place.
Agree with this article. Well stated. But a greater concern for me is the de-valuation of U.S. citizenship by indiscriminate immigration. People from cultures that hate the US are easily admitted as refugees. Many are put on a path to citizenship without careful vetting and in spite of their refusal to adopt English or American values or assimilate. Is it part of the DSA's plan.
Details matter. Period.
Thanks for that. As you say it does not seem vital but is a symptom of a decaying and rotting society. Trump is especially right about civic buildings, but only really if you don't have too many of them. When the country is full of civic buildings then they can't all be inspiring or beautiful.
So also need to massively reduce the number of Govt buildings.
The irony of this post is that the font spacing looks awful and unlike anything I’ve ever seen on a Substack post. It almost feels like it was designed by some feckless bureaucrat.
Compared to EU passports even the newer US version is a gem of design. You get the picture...
Completely agree, on passports and classical architecture. I also miss the unapologetic patriotism I experienced on every 4th of July in my youth.
Love this.
I’m doing a comparison of the old and new documents. The beef seems to be with the ID pages. Granted the older one had a big colorful eagle on it, it’s been replaced by a colored photo of the bearer with an overlay of what appears to be a finger/thumb print. The background could be better but perhaps it’s a security feature. The bearer information page on the new one is quite utilitarian and blah but there are more security features. Considering what’s going on with immigration, it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make. The visa pages still contain photos of Americana but are more pronounced and colorful. Each passport page has the passport number across the bottom, which is new. The page numbers are now far easier to see. From a user standpoint, the biggest and best change is the fact that the ID page is laminated which reduces having to page through the book to find it. And with use, this page will likely be the one that opens first. Amen.
Your first sentence makes no sense. I did not use the words spirited or dull. What I am saying is that the changes are worth it, assuming they provide more security. We’re talking passports, not wedding albums.
All of the changes of which you approve are updating and improvements which is much improved. So are you saying the change from spirited to dull is a small price to pay for improvements? Mutually exclusive? For me, I think not.