What Does it Mean to be an Ethical Democratic Citizen?

Key Definitions:

Ethical - being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, esp. the standards of a profession: It was not considered ethical for physicians to advertise.
Democratic - advocating or upholding democracy; pertaining to or characterized by the principle of political or social equality for all: democratic treatment.

Citizen - a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection.

To be an ethical democratic citizen means to care about something much greater than yourself. The specific order of the term "ethical democratic citizen" is no coincidence. "Ethical" comes first because it is the most essential factor to consider. "Democratic" is next and "citizen" appropriately follows. When one looks at what each word signifies, it becomes easy to understand why.

When you establish your ethical standpoint, you must remember that you are not the only one living on this planet. Whether you are a relativist or an absolutist, you nevertheless still need to have an open mind. When a decision is made, think of how it will affect your neighbors, your family, other countries, your own country, even your enemies, and mother nature. Thus, the topic of ethics becomes a worldly issue.

The word "democratic" comes second. A country's government is the system in which people use to maintain order over the masses. From a democratic perspective, one would strive for a system that practiced political or social equality. This concept should be the second most essential factor to consider because it is perhaps the most vital element that allows human beings to peacefully coexist in a confined setting.

Last but not least, we have the "citizen" or the individual. Do not be misconstrued, as the individual is just as important as a governmental system and even the world (after all, the individuals are the ones who make a government work; they are the entities that bring life to this world). However, the individual should still be considered last when making decisions as an ethical democratic citizen. You are an ingredient that is needed to make a recipe, and without you, it could come out all wrong. Thus, without first considering how the absence of your consent will affect the entire whole, you are only making selfish decisions.

So we have the world, the democracy, and the individual; all essentials factors to be considered when deciding the fate of mankind. Below is a five-part framework for teaching democratic citizenship:

• The World: the transnational context of human rights, the Open Society, and political order
• The People: the foundation of political community and government
• The Polity: the ordering of civic life, politics, and political systems
• The Government: the formal institutions and processes for public affairs
• The Citizen: The principal actor
  

One of the most important roles of an ethical democratic citizen is to show that you care. Do something. Actions speak louder than words. One of the growing problems that is sweeping through our world today is the epidemic called apathy. No, this is not an actual disease, however, it is an infectious virus that is overtaking many of the minds of today's citizens. Deriving from the ancient Greek word, meaning "without emotion", apathy can not literally take place in a human being, as it is biologically impossible to be without feelings or emotions. Figuratively, too many citizens are roaming without a care in the world. And that needs to change. Below is a video from Youtube in response to apathy:

Each citizen has their own unique role, otherwise the machine called democracy will never work. An ethical democratic citizen will realize their specific role and execute it, even if it means to sacrifice some liberties. I'm not saying that absolute conformity is the answer, just a healthy balance between freedom and cooperation. Just as people in America have to sacrifice some of their liberties to the Patriot Act in order to gain more security against terrorism, democratic citizens have to make sacrifices, too. It's a priviledge to be called a democratic citizen, and it's our ethical choice on whether or not to act on it. What will you choose to do?

"Let's get off our fanies and roll up our sleeves and get to work. So that we may passionately create a perfect world." ~ Isabel Allende

Further Links:

Principles of Democracy

Walking Tour Project

I did my walking tour project in none other than the place that provides families with everyday low prices, Walmart. Given that employees working at this superpower become suspicious when customers start to take pictures of their products, I managed to sneak a few in the cereal aisle without receiving too many odd looks.

I wanted to know what America was promoting families to eat for breakfast. As we all know, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. And the staple item present on a typical breakfast table is a bowl of cereal. An ethical dilemma that came up when I roamed the area was the common theme of chocolate throughout the selection. As you can see in the picture, even the popular name brands that previously had no traces of chocolate are now coming out with new versions that have chocolate. Lucky Charms and Honey Comb are two examples, however there were at least fifteen more. I just couldn't help but ask: is chocolate an essential part of a healthy breakfast, or at least a healthy ingredient to start your day off? Or is it just a motivator for the kids tagging along with their grocery-list-driven mothers to beg them to buy the delicious looking cereal. It subliminally makes the kids think that they are getting away with something, because they feel like they're eating candy for breakfast. There are even some cereal boxes that are named after unhealthy snacks, such as Kellogg's S'Morz. Chocolate usually involves high sugar contents, which is unneccessary for breakfast. As quoted from Wikipedia in its history on breakfast cereal: "Cereals with relatively high sugar content are also produced. Sugar-laden breakfast cereals have been extremely popular with children for decades, and many adults also buy them." Thus, I conlcuded that the chocolate theme must just be a ploy to get the sugar-addicted kids to buy their product. Understandable. But ethically moral? Not sure.

Some ethical aspects that I found to be positive were the cheaper versions of the popular name brands that Walmart made available to the consumers. Frosted Mini-Wheats, Smacks, Cocoa Puffs, and Honey Grahams are all examples of popular name brands that Walmart and Hannaford have replicated, packaged differently, slapped on a different name, and then sold them at cheaper prices. They taste the same too, as I have tried many of them. I am glad that Walmart provides this alternative to the consumers because it is frustrating sometimes to see an overpriced monopoly-product make most of its profit due to its popularized name. I enjoyed seeing General Mills advertise its whole grain theme. Whole grain, as opposed to chocolate is a healthy ingredient to start your day off with. It was also nice to see Wheaties still associate itself as the "breakfast for champions", as it blatantly displays an athlectic star on its cover to try to persuade kids into thinking that they'll be able to succeed too.

One of the common misconceptions that a consumer might have while walking down the cereal aisle is that cereal is all you need in the morning. They think that you can just buy a box of cereal and you're good to go in the morning. But even when looking at the cereal commercials, you realize that there are more factors to a full and healthy breakfast. You know that image; the manicured hand pours the milk into the cereal, sets it down on a place mat that is also weighted down with a glass of juice, a saucer with two slices of wheat toast and jam, and an orange on the side. Maybe the cereal aisle at Walmart, which is misinterpretted as the "breakfast" aisle, needs to somehow direct the consumers to the other essential breakfast ingredients. Of course, any American that makes the time to at least sit down and have a bowl of cereal as opposed to nothing is making a good start (studies show that some breakfast is healthier than no breakfast). But then again, when we are mislead into thinking that sugar-laden cereal with milk poured over is all that we need to start our day, we are consequentially starting the day off with an unhealthy mindset.