We are citizens of the United States of America, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and one of the 351 municipalities within Massachusetts. Citizenship encompasses the rights and the obligations of that membership. Civics is derived from the Latin word civicus, meaning “relating to a citizen.” Civics is the study of a citizen’s rights and duties.
The objective of civics class was to equip us with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively in a democratic society. We learned about specifics such as the three branches of government and concepts such as representative democracy, majority rule, and the importance of the rule of law. In short, we learned about the power of the people and how to wield that power.
Remember civics class? If you said yes, you are probably older than 50. Civics education encouraged individuals to actively participate in their communities and to hold their elected officials accountable.
Civics was a multidisciplinary field, drawing on history, political science, and social science—that is, the social, cultural, and economic factors that influence civic behavior. Civics education was and is crucial because it empowers citizens to make informed decisions about political issues and to participate effectively in their democratic process. The emphasis was on the word effectively. By promoting civic literacy and engagement, civics education contributed to the strength and stability of democratic societies.
So why did we stop teaching civics and what did we teach instead? It was no longer relevant because we were no longer citizens first—we were consumers first. How and when did that happen? Slowly and continuously since after the Civil War. Why exactly? Because the basis of our economy shifted to a consumer economy. We the people became far more important to the power structure as shoppers than as voters.
America needs customers; it can adjust to living without voters. What did we teach instead? Skills, such as computer skills—skills we could sell to get the money to buy stuff.
We can become too unknowing and unaware to be a democracy. The day that someone votes because of the price of eggs rather than the cost of diminished human rights or the cost of the abrogation of citizens’ rights—that day has arrived.
It is understandable that it is harder to see on a national level. Much happens behind closed doors, and those doors are thousands of miles away. We only learn the facts in dribs and drabs. But some things, even on the national level, are easy to understand.
Our president does not keep his word. He took vows when he married and broke them when his wife was pregnant and then again and again and every chance he got. He took an oath of office and broke his word to defend and protect the Constitution. When asked directly if defending the Constitution was his job, he said he didn’t know, but he had very good lawyers who could tell him.
That is not hard to understand: With whom would you rather do business? A guy whose word is good or not good? Which one would you rather have power and control over you? A man who keeps his word or a man who doesn’t?
On the local level, it should be easier to understand the political machinations. Afterall, they unfold in front of us, in proximity, and among folks we know. The hard part comes in where teaching civics stopped.
What is the big deal between one person wanting to be chair of a committee because of a list of issues he wishes to address and another person wanting to be chair to increase her own education and experience? What is the big difference anyway? Would a civics class have taught something about that?
Yup.
What is the big deal if unelected people are exerting influence behind the scenes and steering decisions that suit their personal desires but are unexamined and not debated in the public arena? Would a civics class address that?
Yup.
So what if the other side figures out ways to exploit the rights of others rather than defend them? Was that ever taught in civics class?
You bet.
If civics is dead, if the civility that underpins it and the citizenship that insists upon it are dead, then democracy is dead. If all those words that start with “civi,” including citizen and civilization, are losing respect, then so is democracy itself. If democracy is dead, then so is an understanding of why democracy mattered in the first place.
What will be left is “might makes right,” the bully rules the playground just as the psychopath rules the boardroom, and he who has the most money wins. There will be no room for character, honesty, goodness, or generosity. There will be no respect for intelligence or truth if pitted against the unfettered will to put something over on the other guy. Within the human race is the capacity for good and bad. We choose and the rest is history.
