People Aren't That Nice

As noted in the previous posts for this week, the readings highlighted the relative effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) and the impact of voluntary and civic associations on our democratic political system. To generalize, the authors largely conclude that citizens’ involvement and participation in voluntary and civic associations has very little meaningful impact when it comes to producing substantive debate on controversial political and social issues. As I read the assigned articles- specifically the two pieces by Nina Eliasoph and the piece by Theiss-Morse and Hibbing- I wondered how American culture and commonly accepted societal norms have impacted the current state of citizen involvement in civic associations.

Through my own experiences, I can see how citizens, specifically young adults, have been cultured to avoid substantive contributions to society. In part, higher levels of academia are to blame. College admissions boards have placed such an emphasis on the importance of finding well rounded applicants. In my mind, this often equates to quantity of involvement rather than quality. What kind of ideal are we setting for our country’s youth? Do we really want them to be content with superficial involvement in an array of different organizations? Do we want to promote the development of check writing zombies or volunteers that complete routine tasks? Or do we want to encourage active participation and thought development through discussion and substantive involvement?

Along the same lines, Eliasoph notes that volunteers are afraid to speak openly for fear that they may stir up controversy or offend other individuals. She uses Noelle-Neumann’s term, “the spiral of silence,” to describe how people are eager to appease others when it comes to difficult political and social discourse and decisions. Ultimately, I think this notion is used as a scapegoat; it is simply an excuse for the real reason behind why more Americans do not make substantial contributions to political discourse. It is a very utopian idea to think that every American citizen is nice and never intends to hurt or offend others. I am positive that if you spend a day sitting in Newcomb or in the study areas of the South Lawn, you will hear an array of unkind, offensive, and politically incorrect conversations. Now granted, this conversation is probably occurring with a friend (or a homogenous group member); however, the fact cannot be denied that real ideas are out there. Furthermore, the fact that others (potential outsiders or strangers) can hear the conversation also cannot be ignored. The bottom line: a lot of people are lazy and damage control takes a lot more effort than avoiding difficult discussions in the first place. The solution: encourage honesty, confidence, and courage in the next generation of American citizens. We are all different people and offending someone for the progression and development of democracy and our political system is not the end of the world.