The Communitarian Update

Number 63
January 19, 2005

Tell us what you think!
As Americans debate Social Security and Western European welfare states experience strains due to aging populations, many individuals have started to rethink the nature of family versus government obligations to the elderly. As a person reaches old age and becomes infirm, should their family be expected to care for them as long as possible, as is common in Asian communities? Or is it primarily the state's responsibility to provide for its elderly citizens in various institutions?

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 about yourself; if not your affiliation, at least your town and nation, to help us understand your perspective.

Special Announcements:

The Communitarian Network invites you to participate in an essay contest on communitarian thinking!

Prizes: First prize, $10,000; second prize, $5,000; and third prize, $2,500.
Deadline: December 31, 2005. Winners will be announced by March 15, 2006.
Judges: Daniel Bell, Hans Joas, and Amitai Etzioni.
Eligible: All who are not employees of the Communitarian Network or members of their families.

Essays may deal with philosophical, sociological, or other elements of communitarian thinking. Contestants are free to explore matters concerning theory or specific policy issues on the local, national, or transnational level. However, it is required that contestants delve into communitarian thinking, especially of the responsive communitarian kind (see http://www2.gwu.edu/~ccps/index.html). Communitarian thinking must be evident throughout the essay; it should nurture and guide the analysis rather then be mentioned in the introduction and conclusion or only evoked occasionally. Essays critical of communitarian thinking are as likely to win a prize as those that seek to augment this line of work or show that its application leads to new insights, public policies, or normative positions.

The essays must be original. NO parts of them can have been previously published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

The Communitarian Network reserves the right to publish the winning essays.

The Communitarian Network also reserves the right not to award any prizes if the essays received are deemed not to meet the standards set by the Communitarian Network. However, in such a case, the prizes will be added to the prizes available in future rounds of the same contest.

Submit essays to The Communitarian Network, 2130 H Street, NW, Suite 703, Washington, DC 20052. Please address them "Attention: Contest."

***

The National Civic League presents: The All-America City Award

"The All-America City Award recognizes communities that cooperatively tackle challenges and achieve meaningful results...The award honors communities of all sizes where citizens, government, businesses and voluntary organizations work together to solve critical local issues."

To learn more or to apply, visit http://www.ncl.org/aac/.

***

Special Event:

Amitai Etzioni, Henry Nau, Clifford Kupchan, and Nick Gvosdev will discuss their views and recommendations for a foreign policy agenda for the second Bush administration.

Tuesday, Feb. 1
The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW
Lindner Family Commons, Room 602

News of Interest:

Not Increased After 9/11

The Nunn-Lugar initiative to protect Americans and the global community from nuclear weapons saw no increase in funding after the recently passed Congressional budget. Now the Pentagon wants to cut its funding by about 10 percent. For more on nuclear terrorism, see http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog/archives/cat_nuclear_terrorism_update.html.

US, the Richest Nation...

The United States has been chided for providing so little in aid following the tsunami catastrophe--"only" $15 million promised in the first days after the calamity struck (although that amount has now been increased to $350 million). However, these calculations include only what the government has given. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. charities alone have raised over $100 million. Moreover, the American government encourages such giving by providing tax deductions for donations, which many other societies do not. A fair assessment would combine public and private and combined giving. One can be highly critical of Bush and company or even American society and still stick to the facts. In this case, there is room for more giving; there always is.

To Forgive or Not to Forgive?

The recent discoveries of plagiarism by respected scholars have left many wondering how we should best handle the situation. Permanent censure or forgiveness? Some argue that universities have a right to know about the past offenses of potential candidates. And if the institution where the person in question worked before doesn't offer this information, than it should be the individual's responsibility to fess up. Others feel that, once punished, the offenders should not have to go through life haunted by the ghosts of wrongs past. See, "The Chronicle of Higher Education," "How Long a Shadow Should Plagiarism Cast?," December 17, 2004, A19. To join a discussion of this topic, go to http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog/archives/001075.html.

DVD Players in Cars

Out with the air bags. In with a DVD player and a video screen on the steering wheel. Famous people have decided that this proves a brilliant new way to show off style and wealth. Thankfully, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't agree. The agency has recently leveled hefty fines against mechanic shops that provide this type of customization. The body shop West Coast Customs was recently fined $16,000 for stripping vehicles of their front air bags in order "to install video screens in steering wheels." Alice McCartt of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put it this way: "It's taking out a safety device that has proven lifesaving benefits and replacing it with something that could clearly be distracting and potentially dangerous." See, Danny Hakim, "Custom Rims, Yes; TV in Steering Wheel, No," The New York Times, December 30, 2005, C1.

The above items were taken from our blog. Please visit http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog/ to read more, especially on the topics of nuclear terrorism and the unfair society. To respond to these items, email aeblog@gwu.edu.

Publication of Interest:

"America's Crisis of Values: Reality and Perception" by Wayne E. Baker. (Princeton University Press, 2004.)
Examines "...Old questions about moral values from a new angle" in order "...to clarify the widespread perception at the turn of the millennium of an American crisis of values." Uses empirical data to show that the "values crisis" is largely a myth. Instead, Baker finds that Americans still identify with traditional values.

Articles of Interest:

"Childhood for Sale" by Kay Hymowitz. The Public Interest, Winter 2005.
Today's marketers directly target youngsters, bombarding them with images and catch-phrases. In a recent essay, Kay Hymowitz takes a look at our culture of childhood consumerism and two new books on the topic: "Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture" by Juliet Schor and "Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood" by Susan Linn.

Schor and Linn are worried about the toll that the corporate campaign for a younger generation of buyers is taking on America's kids. And with good reason. With pouty-lipped pop stars sponsoring everything from the latest fashions to milk, children have learned to attach their sense of identity, respect, and "coolness" to material possession.

So who is to blame? Hymowitz agrees with Schor and Linn that to pin the donkey tail on a lack of parental supervision alone is not the answer. However, she also isn't ready to hold corporations fully accountable. In her mind, marketers are simply responding to a changing culture.

But pointing the finger at a Wizard of Oz "culture" is all too easy. After all, corporations help fashion this culture. Considering that the welfare of our kids is at stake, everyone should be held accountable for what our youths are exposed to and when--including parents and corporations. To read the full analysis of this article, go to http://www.amitai-notes.com/blog/archives/001073.html.

"The Capabilities and Limits of the Global Civil Society" by Amitai Etzioni. Millennium, vol. 33, no. 2, December 2004.
Argues that the world needs more transnational governing capacity, as both national governments and intergovernmental organizations are unable to cope with rising transnational problems. Asks whether a global civil society can make major contributions along these lines. Finds that without a global state of some sort, such contributions will help but will never be nearly sufficient to eradicate the greatest threats, such as global terrorism, trafficking in people, pandemics, and so on.

The Communitarian Network invites you to:

Order communitarian books by Amitai Etzioni, Edward W. Lehman, Daniel A. Bell, and Philip Selznick at a 40-50% discount! For more information, please visit http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/order.html

**********************************

Endorse the Communitarian Platform!

Join other communitarians who have read and endorsed our platform. Visit our web site:

http://www.gwu.edu/~ccps/rcplatform.html.

************************************

We apologize if you received this message in error. To be removed from this list send the message "signoff comnet" to listserv@hermes.circ.gwu.edu or reply to this message with the word "remove" in the subject line. 

The Communitarian Update is compiled by Emily Pryor. Please consider forwarding the Update to others who may be interested. 

The Communitarian Network
2130 H Street, NW, Suite 703
Washington, DC 20052
202.994.6118
comnet@gwu.edu