The Communitarian Update

Number 35
March 28, 2001

You are Invited to a debate on race and ethnicity in America's future.
The recently released Census data shows a dramatic rise in various minority populations, suggesting that America is on its way to being governed by a majority of minorities soon. Will the result be greater polarization or a blurring of racial tensions? Amitai Etzioni explores these questions in his new book, The Monochrome Society.

The issues and book will be discussed by Karlyn Bowman, AEI; Ronald Walters, University of Maryland; Ben Wattenberg, AEI; Juan Williams, NPR; and Amitai Etzioni. Moderator: Doug Besharov, AEI.
April 2, 2001, 4:30-6:30 pm
Wohlstetter Conference Center
Twelfth Floor, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
1150 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS

Keeping the Faith
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. congregations maintain strong ties to their religious denominations, debunking the widely held belief that affiliation with major religious groups has declined. From the interfaith survey "Faith Communities in the United States Today," which involved 14,301 congregations in 41 denominations or faith groups. It was conducted by researchers at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.

Negative Campaigning Fails Again
Coca-Cola Co is taking steps not to repeat the mistakes of last year's offbeat ad campaign, which featured a spot with a crotchety, wheelchair-bound grandmother; viewers and bottlers complained about the ad, calling it mean-spirited and counter to Coke's warm image; to recoup, Coke plans to spend an extra $500 million this year on advertising.

Was Robin Hood Right?
Public opinion on taxing the rich to redistribute wealth has shifted toward taxation since the Great Depression. A poll asking the question "Do you think our government should or should not redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich?" When asked in 1939 35% said should, in 1998 the number increased to 45%. (Gallup Organization)

The Monochrome Society Arrives?
64% of Americans said it would be "good for the country" to have more Americans "think of themselves as multiracial rather than as belonging to a single race" according to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll of 1,015 adults.

New Issue of The Responsive Community!
(Free sample issues available)

Up Front
Is Bush a Communitarian? -- Dana Milbank
Keeping the Net Healthy -- Esther Dyson
Good Intentions, Bad Idea -- Stephen D. Krasner

Essays
Dismantling the Leviathan: Citizen and State in a Global World - Seyla Benhabib
If we are truly headed towards a global civil society, how should we decide who gets to join it?
Plus: A Response from Michael Walzer

Can There Be Healing through Justice? - David A. Crocker
"Restorative justice" has been hailed as a means to social harmony and democracy. But its flaws could prove critical to a nation's stability.

Reconciling Patients' Rights and God's Wisdom: Medical Decision Making in Pakistan - Farhat Moazam
After years of examining Western autonomy, Eastern theology, and family values worldwide, a physician makes an ambitious prescription: a crosscultural code of medical ethics.

The Well: Life, Death, and Social Norms in the Seminal Online Community - Katie Hafner
If you think that virtual communities lack the intensity of real-world communities, it's time for you to log on to The Well.

Departments

The Community Bookshelf
Character Study -- William Damon
Review of James Davison Hunter's The Death of Character
Dialogue: William Damon and James Davison Hunter

What Is the Third Way? -- Henry Tam
Review of Anthony Giddens's The Third Way and The Third Way and its Critics

The Politics of Loyalty -- William Lund
Review of Stanley Fish's The Trouble with Principle

Are There Two Communitarianisms? -- Jonathan Marks
Review of Amitai Etzioni's The Monochrome Society

The Moral Dimension of the Media
Ad Nauseam -- David Blankenhorn
The Community's Pulse
Kaleidoscope: Strictly Cosmetic?
Libertarians, Authoritarians, Communitarians

Visit The Responsive Community on our web: http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/rcq. If you would like to receive a FREE sample of our publication for yourself or your organization, please let us know at comnet@gwu.edu, or call (800) 245-7460. Same--to subscribe.

Ecircles Conversations Continue
Lively debates on issues important to communitarians. Join the discussion: http://wwwld-00-18-ec.ecircles.com/magic/products/circle/settings.cgi?circleID=3300684

Subscribe to the Responsive Community
Visit The Responsive Community on our web: http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/rcq. If you would like to receive a FREE sample of our publication for yourself or your organization, please let us know at comnet@gwu.edu, or call (800) 245-7460. Same--to subscribe.

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