NOTE: The Moderate Voice runs Guest Voice posts from time to time by readers who don’t have their own websites, or people who have websites but would like to post something for TMV’s diverse and thoughtful readership. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Moderate Voice or its writers. This is another Guest Voice by Alex Hammer.
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By Alex Hammer
When I write about Ron Paul – http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/12850/guest-voice-the-ron-paul-internet-dilemma/ – I get 24 comments. When I write about our role as citizens in making a better government – http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/14243/guest-voice-life-is-heroic-but-running-for-president/ – I get zero.
Why is that?
I believe that we’re extremely focused as a species. We love to comment about what the other guy or gal is doing. We review in our minds how others have treated us, what we like in that regard and perhaps especially what we don’t. What others’ responsibilities are to us that they are or are not meeting. But one seems to have much more of a difficult time (i.e. much less of a tendency) focusing, or staying focused, on our own responsibilities in making things better.
The CNN/YouTube debate showed that citizens do like to get involved. And have fun (e.g. snowman) in that role as well. But it’s a struggle. Candidate responses in that format can still be canned, and some candidates will not it seems be inclined to subject themselves to even this level of scrutiny.
One of the major Presidential candidates has over 200 videos on YouTube! And yet too much of this Presidential 2008 election process still seems to involve largely one-sided conversations.
I wonder why we allow this?
When I ran for Governor of Maine in 2006 I published an article entitled “A Citizen’s Responsibility” – http://www.magic-city-news.com/Alex_Hammer_88/A_Citizen_s_Responsibility_55655565.shtml – (I had previously published one entitled “A Governor’s Responsibility”).
In that Maine election was one theme (not new) of whether one is being too negative by strongly focusing on the significant documented challenges of our spectacular state. In that piece I concluded:
“Many people will tell you how great Maine is. I myself say Maine is, can, will and should be great And this is true. But at another level we’ve fallen far short. And I mean that in a collective we, myself as a Mainer included. We need, I believe, to pick ourselves up, look ourselves in the mirror, and talk to ourselves in regard to what each one of us is willing and going to do to personally make things better for ourselves, for our children, for our families and for our state.
I mean that. If you agree, make a promise to yourself that you will do your part. In an ultimate and philosophical sense, our own actions are truly all we really are guaranteed of controlling in this world.
John Kennedy asked us not to ask what your country could do for us, but instead to ask what we could do for your country.
So I ask you. While you’re standing in front of this mirror, I want you to reflect on all the things that are wrong with this state. Mull it over in your mind so that you don’t miss or forget anything. And then I want you to stare into the mirror in a determined (even ferocious) glare, and say in a loud voice (or softer if there are other people around) with all the courage that you can muster:
It’s your fault?”
Any comments?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.