What is "Civic Duty"?

[Blackhawk2001]

When I posed the question about if a homeowner owes his neighbors anything if he harms them by having a rundown property, I was groping at the concept of "civic duty".

All government aside (please!) do we, as free men and women, have any "duties" to our society? I'm not necessarily talking about current society, but the type of society envisioned by our Founders; the one we'd like to have back.

I understood the attitude when someone said that he was unhappy at having to pay for roads that he didn't use, or at having to pay a fee if transported by ambulance somewhere, but something about the statement bothered me.

It seems to me that paying a fee (tax) for roads and bridges, even if I don't use them myself, benefits me in numerous secondary ways. For instance, some unimaginably high percentage of our foodstuffs is moved by our national highway system. If we never got on a highway (if we never left our county) we would still be benefiting from the highway as long as we were purchasing food or tools or clothing somewhere.

Using that as an example, does anyone want to take a crack at defining "civic duty" in any sense?

 

[Fletch]

Civic duty is a club that folks use to browbeat others into behaving as they would like them to behave.

 

[ATF Consumer]

It is everyone's civic duty to not violate other's rights.

 

[E5RANGER375]

i think that we all have a civic responsibility to our own communities. i dont mind my tax money going to support my local community (not charity) or government, transportation etc. but i do not support having to pay for some one elses community because they dont wanna pay for it and know if they dont then others will pick up the tab. if they wanna let their roads go to crap, then let them. they will suffer, not me and my community. i hate this whole idea of spreading the wealth to less fortunate or people with no drive for success. if you live in a community then you have a civic duty to support said community. If you dont want to then as an American you have a choice and a right to move away. its sad to see the poor turnout at our local government meetings considering the large decisions they make for us. I think that expressing your wishes on how you want your money spent is just as, if not more important than voting them into office even. If you dont express your concerns then you get what you put in. If you dont put in anything then get out of my community.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Civic Duty is the name of the road leading from rugged individualism to communism, with a slight stop at socialism along the way.

 

[G_Stines]

Civic Duty is the responsibility of the the citizens. It is the duty we are charged with as American citizens to maintain and uphold the law, protect your home, community, and country. There are things that fall into this category that some do not like. Taxes, nobody likes them, but they are a necessary part, and as long as they are spent appropriately, and in the best interest of the people who support and love this country, then I have no problem with. I have a problem with this redistribution of wealth, and I think part of our civic duty is to rectify and restore the state of this nation. The illegal immigrants who receive benefits and health care without paying their dues to Uncle Sam, are part of this problem. Along with the welfare program. Bill Cosby once stated that the welfare checks should only be written to persons after their completion of a 40 hour educational week, a clean drug test, and proof of application for employment, and I agree with him. I do not believe in helping those who aren't willing to help themselves. I believe we owe this country a lot, and we have a long way to go before we are close to completing what I feel our Civic Duty has charged the American people with.

Sorry. I will step off my soap box now.

 

[snorko]

"Civic Duty" and "taxes" should never be in the same sentence. Taxes are imposed by law and, agree or not, are owed and must be paid.

Civic duty, to me, is that which we owe our chosen community we are voluntarily a part of and is a duty which should be given. Maintaining my house in good repair is not civic duty but civic pride. Calling the fire department when I see my neighbor's house on fire is civic duty. My paying taxes to fund weekly garbage pickup is not a civic duty but a municipal service I must pay for having chosen to live in a city. Not littering is a civic duty. Picking up a piece of litter and dropping it in the trash while walking down the street is civic pride.

I believe everyone should "give back" is some fashion. Volunteering with organizations, giving time to help others, all that hippie crap. At the very least, civic duty should be not to directly harm the community, at its best, it is one's efforts to improve things for all.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Civic Duty is the name of the road leading from rugged individualism to communism, with a slight stop at socialism along the way.

Not trying to put words in your mouth, but do you mean that there is no middle ground between the individual and societal drone?

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Not trying to put words in your mouth, but do you mean that there is no middle ground between the individual and societal drone?

No, not at all. It is the slippery slope that has rugged individualism on the top, and ultimately drains down to full collectivism at the bottom. There are many stops along the way, but they are all temporary.

Let me put it this way. I believe I have a responsibility to help my brother. That help can take different forms, and come at different times. But that belief is innate and undefined.

The term civic duty invokes a greater good call to me, and I generally reject the greater good ideal. Yes, there are things like roads, defense, and safety that must be provided for the greater good. But health care? Social security? Welfare? Food stamps? No, no, no, no. These are unnecessary programs designed to control the population, not provide real service. Families take care of families. Churches take care of members. Communities tend communities. That leans more towrd rugged individualism. What is occuring today is flowing past the sewer of socialism.

This nation survived 150 years with a can do spirit and a mode of self reliance, without public assistance and welfare. It is interesting that it will likely fail in less than 100 years after the implementation of the first of these failed programs.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

No, not at all. It is the slippery slope that has rugged individualism on the top, and ultimately drains down to full collectivism at the bottom. There are many stops along the way, but they are all temporary.

Let me put it this way. I believe I have a responsibility to help my brother. That help can take different forms, and come at different times. But that belief is innate and undefined.

The term civic duty invokes a greater good call to me, and I generally reject the greater good ideal. Yes, there are things like roads, defense, and safety that must be provided for the greater good. But health care? Social security? Welfare? Food stamps? No, no, no, no. These are unnecessary programs designed to control the population, not provide real service. Families take care of families. Churches take care of members. Communities tend communities. That leans more towrd rugged individualism. What is occuring today is flowing past the sewer of socialism.

This nation survived 150 years with a can do spirit and a mode of self reliance, without public assistance and welfare. It is interesting that it will likely fail in less than 100 years after the implementation of the first of these failed programs.

Okay, then would you say "Civic Duty" is a personal responsibility to help the community, help maintain its public spaces, help provide its defense, etc. but that "Civic Duty" should not ever be construed as a "public responsibility", the difference between the two being that one is freely accepted and the other is compelled?

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Okay, then would you say "Civic Duty" is a personal responsibility to help the community, help maintain its public spaces, help provide its defense, etc. but that "Civic Duty" should not ever be construed as a "public responsibility", the difference between the two being that one is freely accepted and the other is compelled?

I would say that there I have a personally mandated responsibility to help the community based upon what I choose to give. That may or may not be shared by others.

I hesitate to use the term Civic Duty only because as you rightly assert it is compelled. I do not try to redefine well known and accepted terms.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Okay, then would you say "Civic Duty" is a personal responsibility to help the community, help maintain its public spaces, help provide its defense, etc. but that "Civic Duty" should not ever be construed as a "public responsibility", the difference between the two being that one is freely accepted and the other is compelled?

That is how I define it.

I also see it as a part of the social contract. If I'm willing to help those in my community when I can then they in turn are willing to help me. When it goes from something I do willingly for those who would also do for me in reverse circumstances, to something I am compelled to do for others who would never return the favor, then the social contract is broken and it becomes socialism. In our modern society it's even a form of corporate slavery (where the government compels us to do things that primarily benefit the large corporate interests).

 

[Eddie]

Duty implies to me that Civic Duty is something that one has to do; that no choice is offered. Civic Duty implies that if you live somewhere you have certain social obligations.

I think that there is a difference between a Resident and a Citizen. Resident means you live in the community; you may be gone tomorrow but today your home is in the town. A citizen may or may not live in a community but they have ties to it. A citizen does things for their community out of an internal desire to help the community, not from external social pressures.

As was stated above, a "Rugged Individualist" might be either a resident or a citizen depending on their internal feelings towards the community but they should not have a duty imposed on them by others to contribute to the group.

 

[Fletch]

As was stated above, a "Rugged Individualist" might be either a resident or a citizen depending on their internal feelings towards the community but they should not have a duty imposed on them by others to contribute to the group.

 

[Woodsman]

Okay, then would you say "Civic Duty" is a personal responsibility to help the community, help maintain its public spaces, help provide its defense, etc. but that "Civic Duty" should not ever be construed as a "public responsibility", the difference between the two being that one is freely accepted and the other is compelled?

This is a reasonable explanation of the differences. Being a personal responsibility is also well within my right to offer as I see fit or to the extent of my capabilities to assist. Be that helping a neighbor build a deck or contribute money to anyone I choose to.

When the the above is twisted to say public responsibility, it does so usually when someone else dictates the need with you being compelled to provide the money or service. The freedom to choose is removed. Instead, this approach is a carefully worded construct to pull at your basic good intentions to contribute unwillingly.

In some respects, I see certain shared costs as necessary. Similar to a manufacturing process; if you spend a lot of capital on developing a widget, the cost/widget comes down as you sell more widgets (to a point of being cost-effective). That minimum is what should be achieved to remain a financially viable entity.

Therefore, to use the ambulance analogy, if someone paid for the ambulance and EMT to be available when called upon the cost would be something like $40K/trip if used only several times per year. If the service were used more often, the cost/ride would decrease as the shared costs are spread over a greater range.

Using these comparisons further, the shared costs of providing emergency care to a community could be called a reasonable community benefit, or civic duty.

The line is crossed however, when the two are blended by a politician who tries to instill the personal responsibility as one necessary under the guise of for the public good. IOW, The lines between voluntary sharing and mandated taking are blurred by attempts to pull at a persons good nature to help others.

 

[Eddie]

This is a reasonable explanation of the differences. Being a personal responsibility is also well within my right to offer as I see fit or to the extent of my capabilities to assist. Be that helping a neighbor build a deck or contribute money to anyone I choose to.

When the the above is twisted to say public responsibility, it does so usually when someone else dictates the need with you being compelled to provide the money or service. The freedom to choose is removed. Instead, this approach is a carefully worded construct to pull at your basic good intentions to contribute unwillingly.

In some respects, I see certain shared costs as necessary. Similar to a manufacturing process; if you spend a lot of capital on developing a widget, the cost/widget comes down as you sell more widgets (to a point of being cost-effective). That minimum is what should be achieved to remain a financially viable entity.

Therefore, to use the ambulance analogy, if someone paid for the ambulance and EMT to be available when called upon the cost would be something like $40K/trip if used only several times per year. If the service were used more often, the cost/ride would decrease as the shared costs are spread over a greater range.

Using these comparisons further, the shared costs of providing emergency care to a community could be called a reasonable community benefit, or civic duty.

The line is crossed however, when the two are blended by a politician who tries to instill the personal responsibility as one necessary under the guise of for the public good. IOW, The lines between voluntary sharing and mandated taking are blurred by attempts to pull at a persons good nature to help others.

Most of the time its just listed as "local tax" on your paycheck.

 

[rambone]

Jury Duty comes to mind, but making it mandatory is unconstitutional and wrong. A good citizen should want to see justice be served, not be forced to. The 13th Amendment makes this whole topic of compulsory service pretty clear. The same concept applies to military draft and forced public service.

13. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.​

 

[Blackhawk2001]

SEMPERFIUSMC, I understand what you're saying about "well known and accepted terms", but I disagree with you to the extent that I did not grow up hearing that term used as a compelled responsiblity but as a responsibility one should accept. I am somewhat relieved to see that many of us who have responded share that view.

I knew, when I raised the question the way I did, that semantics might play a role in the answers given, which was why I tried to draw you out about your original answer. Words mean different things to different people; the image brought to mind by "rugged individualist" was obviously not the same image you had when you used the term. And, of course, since I've grown to adulthood, I've seen folks misuse "Civic Duty" more than once myself.

 

[shibumiseeker]

SEMPERFIUSMC, I understand what you're saying about "well known and accepted terms", but I disagree with you to the extent that I did not grow up hearing that term used as a compelled responsiblity but as a responsibility one should accept. I am somewhat relieved to see that many of us who have responded share that view.

I knew, when I raised the question the way I did, that semantics might play a role in the answers given,

You and I are a generation apart I believe, but I think we both grew up hearing the term used in very similar ways.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

SEMPERFIUSMC, I understand what you're saying about "well known and accepted terms", but I disagree with you to the extent that I did not grow up hearing that term used as a compelled responsiblity but as a responsibility one should accept. I am somewhat relieved to see that many of us who have responded share that view.

I knew, when I raised the question the way I did, that semantics might play a role in the answers given, which was why I tried to draw you out about your original answer. Words mean different things to different people; the image brought to mind by "rugged individualist" was obviously not the same image you had when you used the term. And, of course, since I've grown to adulthood, I've seen folks misuse "Civic Duty" more than once myself.

You and I are a generation apart I believe, but I think we both grew up hearing the term used in very similar ways.

I looked up the definition of Civic Duty, which is "the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force".

The keywords in that definition are binds and demanded. Both of these words scream compel to me. YMMV.