Ethan Porter, public affairs assistant professor at George Washington University and author of "The Consumer Citizen," states that citizens are now being asked to focus on what to buy, goods of all sizes, and all prices, nearly all of the time. He claims that the "ideal citizen" is a fantasy and what we have now is a consumer citizen. Most people, he says, don’t spend much time thinking about policy; but instead, what to buy, who to hire, what they can afford, and how all this purchasing affects them as individuals.
Porter stresses the ancient Greek political philosophy — that citizenship makes demands on people, requiring a more active involvement in public life. It demands that people take the responsibility to acquire knowledge about policy issues. Citizenship demands that people participate in the political debate and accept the burdens that come with democratic engagement.
Read the full article on Holland Sentinel.