We happen to be citizens of the so-called greatest democracy in the world. A citizen according to the novel, Rhetoric & Civic Life “is a person who has full membership in a political community”(Schudson 2). One who is considered a citizen has many forms of legal identification such as a birth certificate, a passport, etc. But let's put aside the legal stuff and ask ourselves when we are born, do we just automatically become civic? Better yet, how does one even become civic?
Whether we realize it or not, we do many activities in our daily lives that make us civic. Take for instance recycling. As I walk around University Park every day, I come across mass amounts of blue recycling bins. When, I recycle my plastic Berkley & Jensen Purified Water bottle, am I being civic? As a matter of fact, I am. In elementary school, as well as high school, every morning students must stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance, This is a civic act. Last summer, the ALS ice bucket challenge was a huge hit on social media. Participating in the ALS ice bucket challenge or even running a five K race for breast cancer can all be considered a civic act. After all, you're raising awareness for those in society who need support.
Many Americans attend church, go to the synagogue, the temple or the mosque. Attending one of these places can make people feel as if they are connected with others. After the attack on the Twin Towers, on September 11, 2001, George W Bush talked about citizenship in many communities throughout the United States. Believe it or not, many Christian and Jewish women were taking Muslim women who were afraid to come out of their homes out shopping (Schudson 7). One who is civic serves a purpose in their community such as these women did.
One who is civic attends to the public agenda that is called upon by our nation's political leaders. One who is civic asks what they can do for their country, not what their country can do for them (Schudson 6). One who is civic votes in primary, local and presidential elections. One who is civic volunteers to work in the voter registration office. One who is civic attends local rallies for their local representative. One becomes civic by doing all these duties. One who is civic does a majority of these things without realizing what they are doing is their civic duty.
Work Cited
Schudson, Michael. "How People Learn To Be Civic." Rhetoric and Civic Life. 2nd ed. Boston:
Pearson, 2013. 1-11. Print.
You writing style is strong and concise, and it gets your point across clearly, which I really appreciated when you were explaining these points. Also, your conclusion! So good, it was very powerful the way you repeated each phrase beginning to reinforce the flexibility of civic behavior. The only question I would ask about this post would be, What do YOU think about being civic? Or...How did reading this affect your view of yourself or others? Food for thought. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI think your points are very interesting. I think that there is certainly a difference between being a citizen (birth right) and being a good citizen (constructively participating in the community.) I think the points you make show how being a good citizen is interpreted in different ways by different people and sometimes this can be a bad thing.
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