A Call to Civic Literacy

Literacy is the foundation of a free and democratic society. People who cannot read, or know how to read but fail to do so, are not informed and hence cannot make the decisions that will be beneficial to the community.

“Literacy”, as implied above, is not just knowing how to read, but actually reading. It behooves us, and it is also a civic obligation, to become informed. Hence, we need to read.

Judging from the “opinion” articles printed in the local paper, it’s apparent to this educator that there are many on Marco Island that do not read or are otherwise not informed about material that would provide a basic civic understanding. No offense, because in today’s day and age, illiteracy is quite normal.

To those that decry and besmirch the efforts of the organizations and individuals that vociferously challenge the city council/city government, you may want to read a few works before you crank up that word processor again. These “kook” organizations that you are assaulting are actually doing YOU a favor. Yes, whether they are right or wrong, whether they eventually prevail or not, whether they are tactful or not, whether they are polite or not, whether they have a hidden agenda or not, whether you like them or not, they are actually doing YOU a favor.

Here is a homework assignment for the critics of the individuals and groups seeking change or a redress. Before you type out yet another misinformed collection of words, read any of the following:

• On the Duty of Civil Disobedience – By Henry David Thoreau
• The Federalist Papers – By Publius (“Publius” was a pen name - the real authors are Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay)
• Martin Luther King’s 1963 Letter from the Birmingham Jail
• Two Treatises of Government – By John Locke
  

So, when you fine folks finish reading these fine works, here is a test:

• Does the government always work towards the best interest of moral people?
• Is it not OUR duty – each one of us – to seek improvements – as we see it?
  

This test is on the honor system! Then, when you are done, consider if these “wacky” organizations and individuals that you disparage are evil, or if they are doing us a service.

On equal footing with civic illiteracy is this penchant by the vocal (purported) majority to prefix or couch their criticism of the “goof-ball trouble-making” people and organizations as being in the “minority”. Let’s assume for a moment that the people and groups that are active in advocating change at city hall do in fact represent the “minority” of the citizens.

First, it doesn’t make them wrong. Secondly, they are in good company for it has always been the minority that has fought for justice and equal representation under the law.

Disagree? Consider that the MAJORITY in this country were FOR slavery, were FOR segregation, were FOR Jim Crow laws, were FOR denying women the right to vote, were FOR the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry during WWII, were FOR the decimation and exiling of the Native Americans, and are presently FOR infanticide.

Now consider that it was the minority that were opposed to all of these evils and fought long and hard for their correction. In fact, it was the MINORITY that opposed the British Crown during colonial times, and it was that MINORITY that became the founding fathers of this great experiment in federalism and constitutional democracy. Hence it would seem advantageous for the self-proclaimed MAJORITY to stop publicizing this myth of mainstream-hood for they are in poor company.

If anyone needs any help interpreting these tenets of our form of government, perhaps the city can spring for a tutoring service on Marco Island for the civically challenged ... to be held right before the council meetings.