What does good citizenship mean to me? Well, to be honest I’ve never really thought much about it. What first comes to mind isn’t so much a concept of good citizenship, but the notion that good citizenship must be the opposite of bad citizenship. The extreme of bad citizenship is breaking the law. However, I think that bad or poor citizenship can also pertain to being a sort of leech on the community; in general, doing things only for your own interests and at the expense of others in the community.
So hold that thought, and let’s examine what that idea means for good citizenship. Good citizens follow the law. Good citizens do things that add to the community or hold the good of the community in mind. You’re probably saying, “Well duh Tim, that’s pretty obvious and pretty general.” And to you I say yes it is, but allow me to go further. The book suggests that a good community is one in which the communities constituents are actively involved in the community. I agree wholeheartedly. As a result, good citizenship is defined not only by following laws, but thinking critically about those laws and encouraging debate about their merits and demerits. Good citizens do not only work to help those who are worse off than themselves, but also enlist others in their communities to do the same. Good citizens stay informed about issues facing the community and work with community leaders to address those issues. In a way, good citizens are leaders even if they don’t hold “leadership” roles. By the same token, good citizenship and leadership are intertwined.
The more I think about this idea of “good citizenship” the more I feel like it is something that many of my communities – the Greek community, my college, my state, and my country – have forgotten about. As one of the chapters in the Greek community, we have a responsibility to the community to work with other chapters to make our community better. However, how often do we decide it better to stay out of that mess and keep doing our own thing? As a student at this college, I can’t tell you how often I hear people complain about USG (I’ve mentioned this before); but how many of those people even vote for USG president or know what USG is doing on a daily basis around campus? How many people in our country vote without any knowledge of the issues? How many people vote ONLY on the issue of taxes? We watched Alex’s video about the homeless in Chicago, and we talked about how people end up in that situation for a variety of reasons? How many of us still think that homeless people are all drug addicts and alcoholics?
Watch this clip from The Daily Show with John Stewart
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Indianapolis Homeless Talent Show | ||||
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Good citizenship means doing better than that.
One (actually two but I’m holding the other one for a later blog) of my favorite quotes of all time is by John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Substitute “country” with whatever communities you are a citizen in, the point is all the same.
I'm glad you made a point to mention that it takes a collective effort to promote good citizenship, that we must work together. While it is easier to just be good citizens ourselves, obeying the law and helping those in need, it is equally important to teach others to do the same, since that is really what community is all about
ReplyDeleteI think you raise an interesting point about someone who is selfish and in it only for their own interests is a "leech". I've never really thought of it like that but it is a very interesting comparison
ReplyDeletethe USG parallel is very relevant. =It does worry me that people's attitudes won't change once they graduate.
ReplyDeleteBtw, oh John Stewart.... oh America....
<3 John Stewart! I think you have an excellent point, how many students complain about USG but never vote? About 97%, I think. I'll try and find out for class today.
ReplyDeleteHa, love the usg mention and I definitely think that its true. So many people complain about USG but never do anything or get involved. This, I believe, backs up your point about people who actively do nothing. They don't add "value" to the community and normally complain about everything thats going on.
ReplyDeleteThat video was horribly hilarious. I honestly can't believe that news woman made her sing and then went to her sister. But I guess it is kind of nice that they are trying to help them. Although, I think their main motive is ratings, so I honestly don't know if I agree with their approach to that.
ReplyDeleteI think I would classify that as awkward citizenship.