In light of the mass media's glorification of the current presidential elections and the immense scrutiny of the candidates policies/plans and promises, where does personal responsibility come into play? And what does it encompass?
Most would answer: voting. For them, this probably means picking which party (Republican or Democrat) they most align themselves with in terms of policies, or even candidates personal characteristics and casting their vote accordingly- be it a war veteran, a African American, or a woman. No doubt, the emergence of these variable traits within our system signifies a great potential for change, but in order for society to truly transform its ways, recognition of our individual/ personal responsibilities has to be implemented and integrated.
In "Looking Beyond the Election and Beyond Elections, Taking Politics Seriously", two Austin Texans, Robert Jensen and Pat Youngblood identify voting as what the majority of American citizens view their political participatory responsibilities to encompass. Though voting a stepping stone to voicing our concerns, personal responsibility in shaping our countries future needs to be encompassed if real solutions are going to be identified. They state that “people should take politics seriously, which means asking considerably more of ourselves than the typical fixation with electoral politics.”
So if voting doesn’t fulfill the participatory requirements expected of us, what does? Jensen and Youngblood say it starts by facing reality- something they feel Obama nor McCain, or their respective parties are interested in facing. And if they aren’t, who will? That’s where we come in.
The “reality”, Jensen and Youngblood define is “the need to start imagining and building an economics based on production and distribution for real human needs, rejecting the corrosive greed that underlies not only the obscene profits hoarded by the few but also the orgiastic consumption pursued by the many.” Furthermore, they argue that the problems of our existing systems have predictable consequences with no plausible solutions, and will likely prove useless in helping us restructure our lives.
Next, the two identify what they feel are flaws- in the current economic system, within our war policies, patriarchy, racism, and corrupt corporate capitalism. In order for successful movement toward reshaping our ideologies, “a realistic description of the problems we face, a realistic evaluation of the nature of the systems that gave rise to those problems, and a realistic assessment of the degree of change necessary to imagine solutions” all need to be established.
I chose this article not because I agree with their views, but because I admire the way Jensen and Youngblood try to encourage and motivate their audience (Americans) to wake up and think outside of the box- see the whole picture, not the just the narrow views imposed on us by mainstream political parties or the media- but our own views. The authors, as well as myself, support traditional grassroots political organizing in order to advance progressive policies on the most important issues- connecting with people on common ground, articulating a realistically radical analysis, and working from there to construct a just and sustainable society.
Obviously, Jensen and Youngblood recognize that this will take time but feel as though its brink is possible and necessary for society to flourish. So we will vote on November 4th, but more important, what will we do on November 5th?
Robert Jensen has a good framework for contemporary reform, but he seems to push the envelope on controversial topics leaving him a highly criticized author. Jensen is currently a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin with a PhD in media law and ethics. Prior to his academic career, Jensen worked as a professional journalist for a decade.
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