A few days ago, one of my friends sent me an article from Human Events Online titled Liberalism is Philosophically Un-American, written by Rabbi Aryeh Spero. As usual with such things, I was irritated by the needlessly inflammatory wording of the title, agreed with some of what the author wrote, disagreed with some of it, and was spurred to further thought by the whole thing.
You can read the whole article for yourself at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19437 if you want, but for now, let's concentrate on the first sentence, which reads: "Three of the distinguishing features of our historic American outlook are the emphasis of (1) right over wrong, (2) liberty, and (3) judging a person as an individual, not simply as a member of a group." I think this is a profoundly important thought which captures the source of both the best and the worst of America.
As you know if you read this blog regularly, I strongly believe that one of the things which sets America apart from most of the rest of the world is our emphasis on the rule of law - of right over wrong, as Rabbi Spero expresses it in his article. Although it's true that the quality of justice one can expect is enhanced by celebrity or the amount of money one can spend on lawyers, in general, our legal system is the envy of the world for fairness. Beyond home-grown justice, though, the traditionally American sense of right over wrong has led us to intervene, sometimes heavy-handedly, in support of oppressed populations (consider the Balkans, Iraq, and Somalia); actions which may be taken in good faith, but which often end up being condemned around the world for one reason or another (anger over national impotence, jealousy, political gamesmanship, etc). But the real focus of my comment today centers on Rabbi Spero's other two points: liberty and judging a person as an individual, not simply as a member of a group. While these are both key elements of the American character and national experience, I think they also contain the seeds of many of our current problems.
The unprecedented level of personal freedom enjoyed by Americans, and our traditional encouragement of individual initiative, have helped us to create the economic, industrial, and social superpower that now is the focus of both the world's envy and its jealousy and hatred. But here's the problem: where do the rights of the individual intersect with the individual's responsibility to the larger group? Much has been written about this topic, but only around the edges of the debate; it's the real third rail of American social intercourse. The relationship of rights to responsibilities is anathema to both the conservative Right and the liberal Left, albeit for different reasons. Conservatives generally venerate the rugged individual, unfettered by silly things like big government and overly-restrictive laws; Liberals generally see the larger group as more important and threatened by an over-focus on the rights and privileges of the individual. As with so many discussions of social issues, the argument has been hijacked by the extremists of the Right and Left, and it doesn't get the serious attention it deserves.
You don't have to look far for examples of over-focus on the individual. Magazines like People, Us, and Self celebrate the activities of celebrities (which frequently aren't the sort of actions I'd prefer my grandchildren to have as examples of good behavior). An empty-headed plastic quasi-celebrity like Paris Hilton, a tragic failure like Anna Nicole Smith, or a useless professional celebrity like Kato Kaelin (who?) get headlines, while the social workers, scientists and researchers working for the betterment of the larger society are relegated to page 6 of section D of your newspaper. Bill Cosby lectures the black community about its responsibility to set a positive example and free its young people from the culture of thugs and drugs, and is villified by that community for not blaming white America for its problems, instead.
Individuals empowered by liberty and economic opportunity and protected by the rule of law made America great. Individuals willing to set aside their ethnic and religious differences and work together made America the envy of the world, and incurred its jealousy.
The individual or the group? Which is more important? Neither. The individual, nurtured and empowered by the larger group, is the engine that built America. But no one in modern American society really wants to say that.
Have a good day. The next time you demand your rights, think also about your responsibilities. We didn't get where we are today without both.
Bilbo
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