by Pops » Sat 09 Jan 2021, 17:59:52
I had to look up communitarian:
Society of small, self-governing communities.
I think the US is, or was, pretty much that back in the day, and that is a large part of our current problems. I think a lot of people of a certain age want to go back there, back to Mayberry. No blacks or browns, no gays or whatevers (tho some crossdressing), certainly no immigrants. There was Otis, several moonshiners including the spinster sisters. Most people are fond of their little home town—those of us born in little home towns, anyway. Even those who left, maybe especially those, have fond memories. I moved to the midwest because even the small towns in CA are big now.
I think the US is becoming a hyper-individualistic country. Everyone is a star of their own online reality show. We belong to nothing except a grievance tribe or two—but we of course are not really attached, we're all above attachment: how many people here admit to belonging to a political party? LOL, the answer is very few. We are all above that fray, Independants are we!!!
We are in a reactionary period. Reaction to the urbanization of a historically communitarian country, the browning of a mostly northern European country. Reaction to the "meritocracy" that says and diploma holder is better at whatever than any dropout loser —and diplomas from the so-called "top schools" are best of all. A period where a plain old job is hard to come by because corporations can get the work done cheaper overseas.
In small self-governing communities, everyone knows your name, your business, your secrets. Everyone is familiar and while familiarity may breed contempt, it also breeds tolerance of those with whom we daily rub shoulders. How many times do people still in Gutwater, Missouri get all jacked out of whacked over what San Francisco is doing about Mexicans, trannies, bums, conservation, whatever. Why do they care?
Because they are petrified that the Mexicans, trannies, bums, conservation, whatever are coming to their town! Even though they have no idea about any of that because they've never interacted with any of it. They are parochial individualists who merely happen to live in small towns. So afraid of change, no longer communitarians willing to let San Francisco do it's thing. They want to impose their values —their Senator just led the charge to disenfranchise entire states because those states aren't like Gutwater.
The difference between Communitarianism and the arch evil Boogieman of socialism is simply that Gutwater isn't on it's own. The fortunate places (like San Francisco) help the less so. Missouri as a whole is on the teat of Uncle Sam, if you'll pardon the visual, Gutwater may not know it but they are just pretending to be responsible for themselves as they enjoy the fruits of San Francisco's labor.
We are a social democracy now. The government gives everyone that works and receives employer insurance a subsidy, it subsidizes home loans, oil production, education, tuition, food, healthcare, retirement and on and on. Still, lots of people are against subsidies that other people get.
OK, I'll finish.
We are seeing the remnants of communitarianism making a last stand against industrial urbanism. The only question is, will Industrialism last until the small communities expire, or will it and its urban ghettos collapse first?
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)