A Good American Citizen? A Person Who Thanks Others for Taking Time to Disagree

Once in awhile, an email arrives from someone who will disagrees with me and then verbally attack in hopes of getting me to change my mind.

 I usually thank them for sharing their world view. 'It is illuminating" I say politely.

There is a critical conversation America has yet to have with itself. And with the ongoing dissension over the war with Iraq and now, the presidential election, it appears that now is the perfect time.

Definitions of what qualifies as national loyalty have always shifted as American society has diversified and matured. A person who is viewed by many as a troublemaker, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., just might end up an honored US hero.

So what defines a patriot, exactly? Is it a person who supports the government through right and wrong in a war or a crisis, or the person who disagrees loudly and engages in lawful protest? Are those who push us all to conform and unite as one country the folks who most love this nation, or is it those who embrace differences and challenge fellow citizens' assumptions in order to reorder society and find hidden flaws?

There is no national handbook - at least not yet - that details how to be a good American. Some would prefer a manual filled with "dos" and "don'ts" to point to and say, "I'm the real deal and you are the pretender."

So it seems for the moment, each person is left to follow his or her own set of personal rules regarding patriotism, even though those lists are bound to disagree. The first few rules on my own list are simple:

1. Vote in every federal, state, and local election even when you can't find one candidate you like.

2. Learn the names of elected officials, and e-mail them periodically to offer insight. (Most of mine are white, and I am African-American.)

3. Attend community or council meetings and stay abreast of public policy and key issues by reading newspapers, listening to the radio, or watching the evening TV news.

4. Model the behavior you want to see in others: Put democratic principles into practice by challenging bias and discrimination in everyday life.

The next rules, which came with wisdom and experience, require a bit more effort and resolve:

5. Respect the rights of other Americans to disagree with you.

6. Accept that your point of view is not the only legitimate perspective.

7. Tolerate dissent.

8. Attack the message, not the messenger.

9. Stand up against hate because it is an infectious strain of terrorism.

As I watch American commentators condemn fellow citizens for expressing contrary views, it saddens me. Some people see conformity and unity as building blocks of strength, but I tend to view them as indicators that fear or intimidation is stifling helpful dissent. I am like the CEO who prefers to identify the drawbacks before launching a new product, rather than wait until after it hits the stores. Our Founding Fathers decided to create a republic instead of a democracy because many feared the majority would not, could not, rule without eventually becoming oppressive and unfair.

Wisely, they opted for a republic, once described by John Adams as "an empire of laws, not of men." Therefore, the protection of the laws that safeguard liberty and free expression is more critical to us than any national consensus ever will be.

The law protects free speech, and those who seek to silence protesters in the name of patriotism might remember these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1815:

"Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to truth; and that, I am sure, is the ultimate and sincere object of us both. We both value too much the freedom of opinion sanctioned by our Constitution, not to cherish its exercise even where in opposition to ourselves."

 Next time you find yourself in a disagreement, cherish your opposition. Honor their right to oppose you. Acknowledge their truth.

Don't do it for them; do it because you want this nation  to be strong and its people to be free .

Comments

[Lance_K]

One group that has invested time and effort in defining citizenship and then teaching it is the Boy Scouts. There are three required merit badges for Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. I just looked up the merit badge requirements on the Internet. I must admit that I could not, without additional preparation, meet the requirement of theses three merit badges at this very moment, and I have a son who earned the rank of Eagle Scout! These merit badges are not the be-all and end-all definition of citizenship, but they do provide food for thought.

Consider that all of these citizenship merit badge requirements are well within the abilities of young teens and yet are given little thought at all by many adults (myself included).