Robert Gordon and James Kvaal: It's Possible--Possible!--That The Economic Crisis Could Ignite A Level Of Civic Engagement Unseen In Decades
Hard economic times usually hit not only our wallets, but also our spirits. Charitable giving goes down. And as Benjamin Friedman has explained, racial tension and nativist sentiment go up.
Friedman noted one great exception in American history, though, and it's the Great Depression. In recent weeks, experts have talked about the New Deal for its contributions to financial regulation, like the FDIC and the SEC. But at least as important to Americans 75 years ago were projects that engaged them more directly as citizens: the "boys" building schools and blazing trails, the blue eagles in shop windows, the murals. Unlike the War on Poverty three decades later, this was not an affluent society doing its duty. It was a broken society saving itself through work together. Roosevelt had said in his first inaugural, "These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men." So they did.
Friedman speculates about a few reasons why the Depression, unlike other difficult times in our history, led to a rebirth of civic spirit: the bankruptcy of conservatism, the buoyant leadership of Roosevelt, the utter vulnerability of most of the population.
Could a similar spirit move us now? While Bush botched his chance to call the "9/11 generation" to service, people clearly want to make a difference. More than 26 percent of Americans volunteered in 2007, just missing the record since data collection began in 1974, and six points higher than in 1989. Of special importance for the future, college students' political engagement and voluntarism are at record levels. And young people aren't just doing service; they are building organizations, with support from foundations like Echoing Green and Ashoka.
In a tight economy, the young idealists could use a hand from Washington. Ted Kennedy and, of all people, Orrin Hatch, recently introduced a national service bill together, and an expanded commitment on this front is one of the few things on which Obama and McCain agree. Given a chance to contribute, and not just to sit by while big brains rewrite banking laws in Washington, a "9/22 generation"--named after the day when the scale of this crisis became clear--may yet emerge. ...
Read entire article at New Republic
Friedman noted one great exception in American history, though, and it's the Great Depression. In recent weeks, experts have talked about the New Deal for its contributions to financial regulation, like the FDIC and the SEC. But at least as important to Americans 75 years ago were projects that engaged them more directly as citizens: the "boys" building schools and blazing trails, the blue eagles in shop windows, the murals. Unlike the War on Poverty three decades later, this was not an affluent society doing its duty. It was a broken society saving itself through work together. Roosevelt had said in his first inaugural, "These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men." So they did.
Friedman speculates about a few reasons why the Depression, unlike other difficult times in our history, led to a rebirth of civic spirit: the bankruptcy of conservatism, the buoyant leadership of Roosevelt, the utter vulnerability of most of the population.
Could a similar spirit move us now? While Bush botched his chance to call the "9/11 generation" to service, people clearly want to make a difference. More than 26 percent of Americans volunteered in 2007, just missing the record since data collection began in 1974, and six points higher than in 1989. Of special importance for the future, college students' political engagement and voluntarism are at record levels. And young people aren't just doing service; they are building organizations, with support from foundations like Echoing Green and Ashoka.
In a tight economy, the young idealists could use a hand from Washington. Ted Kennedy and, of all people, Orrin Hatch, recently introduced a national service bill together, and an expanded commitment on this front is one of the few things on which Obama and McCain agree. Given a chance to contribute, and not just to sit by while big brains rewrite banking laws in Washington, a "9/22 generation"--named after the day when the scale of this crisis became clear--may yet emerge. ...