Being a good citizen | Oppgave

Innledning
Robert H. Jackson once said, “It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error” (Robert H. J., b. 1892).

Being a good citizen involves abiding by and following the rules and laws of a community, both unwritten and written.

It involves following both your and other peoples’ civil rights, learning how to respectfully and safely engage in political debates, and speaking out about the things you want to change or improve in society.

Utdrag
The second ethical dilemma of being a good citizen to discuss is respecting one another. The basic social guidelines for respect, we learn as children.

The advice we receive from our parents from an early age; to share with others, say please, thank you, you are welcome, etc.

Laying a foundation for the wide and demanding learning process of how to respect one another is important.

To respect another person, someone’s actions or practices can be very difficult. It requires an open mind and the ability to accept.

To have an open mind means “a willingness to listen to or respect different ideas or opinions” (Merriam-Webster).

This is crucial for the ability to firstly accept, but also to respect each other. Respect intertwines with the concept of acceptance because if you want to respect someone, you must know how to accept someone.

As mentioned earlier, acceptance involves not judging a person based on their beliefs, race, or opinions. It also involves accepting the person for who they are and getting to know the person based on their personality.

A perfect example of this can be found in Trevor Noah’s book Born a Crime. Here you will see what the consequences of not being able to accept and respect someone, can lead to.

People harming, patronizing, and disrespecting each other based on their race, religion, culture or other personal beliefs are a direct result. (Oftedal A., 2020, p. 231-235)

These various unfounded concepts can lead to prejudice, chauvinism, inequality, or in this case apartheid.

The third and final ethical dilemma of being a good citizen is doing your part and being a participant in this society.