The Communitarian Update
Number 51
January 7, 2003
Tell us what you think!
The Wall Street Journal asks about the Bush Administration's new tax initiatives: "Is [Bush] too
eager to cut taxes for the rich? Or are his critics so eager to soak the rich that they'd settle for a
smaller economy with less for all?" (1/2/03). Elsewhere, the issue has been framed as a choice
between growth and jobs and--class warfare. But one may argue that the most stimulative tax
break is one that mainly benefits working class and middle class people--because these groups
would spend most if not all of the money gained through a tax cut, while the rich would primarily
increase their savings. What do you think?
Please respond briefly and tell us how to identify you. We do not run anonymous responses
because we hold that true identities make for better dialogues. Please also provide some details,
if not your affiliation, at least your town and nation, to help us understand your perspective.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The State of Society, National Press Club (Zenger Room), Washington, D.C., 2:00 p.m.,
Monday, Jan. 13, '03
In anticipation of President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address, experts on social
trends will explore changes in the American family, youth, the economy, and civic life at "The
State of Society," organized by the Institute of Communitarian Policy Studies. The panelists
include Douglas Besharov (Senior scholar, American Enterprise Institute), Bill Galston (Director,
Institute of Philosophy at the U. of Maryland), Kristen Moore (President, Child Trends), Isabel
Sawhill (Senior fellow, Brookings Institute) and Amitai Etzioni (Director, The Communitarian
Network). This event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Questions:
dgraber@gwu.edu or 202-994-8937,
or visit www.communitariannetwork.org
Sex, Marriage and Family and the Religions of the Book: Modern Problems, Enduring Solutions
Emory U., March 27-29, 2003
The conference will examine problems of marriage and family life over the last 25 years and
explore solutions. Eighty distinguished experts from a range of fields will outline and debate the
issues from a multitude of religious and political perspectives. Keynote speakers include Robert
Bellah, Martin Marty, Rebecca Chopp and Robert Wuthnow. Hosted by Emory's Center for the
Interdisciplinary Study of Religion (CISR) and supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Information about the event at http://www.law.emory.edu/cisr/events.htm.
CALLS FOR PAPERS
The Ways We Celebrate: Holidays and Rituals as Seedbeds of Social Values
George Washington U., April 11-12, 2003.
You are invited to participate in a conference that aims to highlight the importance of holidays
and rituals within society and as a fertile field for academic study. Paper proposals on a wide
range of topics are welcomed, as long as they relate to the conference theme:
"Holidays and rituals as seedbeds of social values." Regular registration deadline is Jan. 10, '03.
If you wish to present a paper, or serve as a chair or organizer of a session, or for additional
information, please contact Elizabeth Tulis at The Communitarian Network, 2130 H Street,
N.W., Suite 703, Washington, D.C. 20052; 202.994.8167; etulis@gwu.edu. For more
information about the developing program, please visit our website at
http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/the_ways_we_celebrate.html.
9th Annual Human Sciences Conference: Academic Labor and the New Politics of Consensus
George Washington U., Feb. 28-March 1, 2003
The focus will be the interrelations between the following pressing problems: 1) the embattled
situation, and even dismantlement, of academic institutions and programs due to the cash-nexus
logic of 'efficiency' and 'excellence'; 2) the exploitation of intellectual labor, especially within
the lower ranks of the university hierarchy; 3) the recent (and historical) interests in national
and international unity vis-à-vis the terrorist enemy; and 4) the cross-disciplinary decline of
dissent in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 university. Deadline for panel proposals is Dec. 2, '02
and deadline for papers is Jan. 8, '03. For further information, or to submit a proposal, contact
labor@gwu.edu.
Third Communitarian Summit, Washington, DC, July 9-11, 2004
The summit will take place simultaneously with a meeting of the Society for the Advancement of
Socio-Economics. The Communitarian Network invites paper proposals on any of the following
topics: communitarian theory and philosophy; autonomy and social order; rights and
responsibilities; the moral voice, moral dialogues, norms and laws; the moral infrastructure;
family; character education; informal rituals and the ways we celebrate; the community of
communities; the global community; and universal values. For details, please visit
www.communitariannetwork.org
NEW Website
The Communitarian Network has a new website!! www.communitariannetwork.org
Please come and visit.
Corporate Ethics Rules Proving Profitable
National Hotline Services, Inc., which previously specialized in running a Medicare and
Medicaid complaint center for health-care providers, has recently restructured its product to
target a new group of potential customers: whistle-blowing corporate employees. One of the
requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed earlier this year to reform corporate accounting
and ethics, is that companies show they have systems in place to protect employees who wish to
report corporate misbehavior. National Hotline's new "Sarbanes-Oxley Hotline" offers
employees the opportunity to voice their concerns without fear of retribution from company
management--and offers corporations the possibility of handling unethical practices "in-house,"
and steering employees away from government regulators, journalists and law enforcement
agencies. National Hotline now has 500 clients, a 25% increase over last year, and expects about
$1.5 million in revenues for 2002 (Washington Post, 12/30/02).
Racism in Europe
According to a report recently issued by the European Union's racism monitor, racism against
Muslims and Jews in Europe has increased since the 9/11 attack on the U.S. The report noted
increased harassment of individuals who "looked Muslim" and a wave of attacks on Jews and
synagogues in France and other EU nations. The report calls for the EU to address the social and
economic conditions that may fuel racist prejudice (New York Times, 12/11/02).
Dangerous Games
Video-games rated "M" for mature--not advised for people under the age of 18--are now the
fastest growing segment of the video-game industry. M-rated games are generally extremely
violent and/or sexual. The most popular video game of 2002 was "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,"
in which a player assumes the role of a drug dealer or car thief and wins by committing crimes:
hiring a prostitute, then assaulting her to get his money back; beating a pedestrian with a golf
club, then carjacking the ambulance that arrives to help; using a stolen vehicle to run over police.
Another new M-rated game, BMX-XXX, features strippers and topless female bikers. In
December 2002, the National Institute of Media and the Family, an entertainment watchdog
group, gave the video-game industry a grade of "F."(Wall Street Journal, 12/25/02; CNN.com,
12/20/02).
New Publications
Organ Donation: A Communitarian Approach (Dec. '02)
-The latest Communitarian Network position paper examines the reasons behind insufficient
rates of organ donation in the U.S. and presents an innovative proposal, based on moral dialogue,
for alleviating the problem. To read, visit http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/Organ_Donation.pdf.
Rating Sex and Violence in the Media: Media Ratings and Proposals for Reform by Joel
Federman (Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov. '02)
-Analyzes current ratings systems for the film, television, music and video game industries and
suggests policy options for reform. To read, visit http://www.kff.org/content/2002/3278/.
Judaism and the Collective Life: Self and Community in the Religious Kibbutz by Aryei Fishman
(Routledge, '02)
-Examines the relationship between Judaism as a religious culture and kibbutz life through a
sociological analysis of correlations between phases in the development of the kibbutz and the
Halakhic vs. Hasidic modes of Judaism. Available at amazon.com.
War and Modernity by Hans Joas, translated by Rodney Livingstone (Polity Press, '03)
-Explores the problematic political and sociological implications of the relationship between
modernity and war (and state violence), and offers new observations about the role of war in
modern societies.
The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations by Jonathan Sacks
(Continuum Pub. Group, '02)
-Great Britain's chief rabbi issues a plea for tolerance among different religious groups and
cultures. Available at amazon.com.
The State of Nonprofit America, edited by Lester M. Salamon (Brookings Institution Press, '02)
-A detailed portrait of today's nonprofit sector, which also includes proposals to ensure the
survival and flourishing of nonprofits in the future. To order, visit
http://www.brook.edu/dybdocroot/press/books/state_nonprofit_america.htm.
Articles of Interest
"Are Particularistic Obligations Justified?" by Amitai Etzioni (The Review of Politics, Fall '02)
-An examination of the constitutive roles community has in our life, and the difference it makes
when considering what kind of human flourishing we deem of value.
*************************************
New Issue of The Responsive Community!
(Free sample issues available)
Volume 13, Issue 1, Winter 2003
UP FRONT
Why Freedom Requires Community -- British Home Secretary David Blunkett
The Split Personality of Corporate America -- David Vogel
Peace before Justice: Settling the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict -- Amitai Etzioni and Shibley
Telhami
ESSAYS
War without Sacrifice? The Loss of Personal Responsibility
Cheyney Ryan
Many Americans support wars but aren't willing to make the sacrifices they require. How have
war and personal responsibility become disassociated in the minds of Americans, and how can
they be reconnected?
Diversity Within Unity: A New Approach to Immigrants and Minorities
A platform endorsed by scholars and public leaders from around the globe presents a new vision
for accommodating the increasing diversity of free societies without giving up shared values and
identities.
Is Interracial Marriage Morally Wrong for African Americans?
Anita L. Allen
Many African Americans feel that out-marriage is a betrayal of the black community and is
harmful to their families and themselves. A prominent legal and ethical theorist says the worries
are legitimate, but the conclusion is wrong.
Bully or Partner? A Dialogue on the United States's Role in the World
With Max Boot, Morton Halperin, and Charles Kupchan
THE COMMUNITY BOOKSHELF
Bolstering the Family -- Friedhelm Neidhardt
Review of Familienwissenschaftliche und Familienpolitische Signale: Max Wingen zum 70,
edited by Bernhard Jans, André Habisch, and Erich Stutzer
AN R.C. DOCUMENT
How We Can Coexist
Over 150 Saudi Arabian intellectuals respond to "What We're Fighting For: A Letter from
America."
The Community's Pulse
Libertarians, Authoritarians, Communitarians
Commentary -- Richard A. Epstein, Harry Clor
Visit The Responsive Community on our website: http://www.communitariannetwork.org.
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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