So far this semester, it appears we have been focusing particularly on the basics of civic engagement, yet I fell as if it has really started to focus on the integration of democracy into society. This is primarily due to a few things, notably the requirement upon citizens for a democracy to function correctly, and the striving for democracy and freedom among people. This can be seen through a few things such as a few articles we have read and the Skype conversation we had with the students in Turkey.
We have read a few articles regarding democracy so far this year. Some of the most striking I found regarded the striving for civil liberties in a democracy. The article regarding the black family whose daughter was attending an white school in New Orleans really revealed how civic engagement is necessary for the proper functioning of a democracy. At the time, the United States was a type of democracy, however it faced multiple issues that damaged the democratic ideals of the country. The perseverance of that family and the little girl helped to change the views of the people who were so vocally opposed to equality in that city. This brings up important ideas and questions. One such question revolves around how civic engagement has changed over time, “Do people still make major efforts to solve social problems through Civic Engagement?”. This question is harder to tell, as many of the social problems today are not as easily seen as the clear differences in equality of the Civil Rights Era.
However, a striving for rights, and social change seem to be quite clear in other areas which are “emerging democracies” such as Turkey. While partaking in the Skype call with the two students from Turkey, I along with many others in the class were struck with the degree of passion they had toward affecting change in their country both politically and socially. Could this level of passion for civic engagement be based upon the fact that they have more problems than us, or is it something else? These are the types of questions necessary to ask in order to better be able to partake in civic engagement in our own community. Questions such as this require us to understand the dynamics of citizens responses to issues and how they react. If we can see what drives others to be so engaged, we can use that same passion to get more people to become engaged civically with their own communities.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed what you said about being, "struck with the degree of passion they had toward affecting change in their country both politically and socially." I think the position we are in right now in our country rather than others is interesting.
At the founding of our nation, believing in Taxation without Representation was agreed to be Super British. The Founding Fathers actually believed they were being more British than Parliament in upholding civil liberties. So in upholding their liberties and fighting for them, they believed to just be upholding their civic duties.
With that being said, I think it speaks to us about those in Turkey, or other nations, who face democracy and their civil liberties being threatened on a daily basis. Civil liberties are taken for granted during a time when they are not threatened; beneficial that they're not threatened, but unfortunately it also creates an environment of stagnation that we get used to.
Stephen
I believe that the current state that we live in right now has not encouraged as much civic participation and involvement in the government as other places such as Turkey. Because of this, we have sort of lost our sense of urgency and importance of government participation. I agree that the Skype call with the Turkish students and the article about the little girl definitely raised some personal questions about my passive role in government and the consequences it may raise in the future. It also makes me question the example or precedent that I may be setting for others.
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