In this essay, Williamson discusses the interesting period of change we are in now and tells us what the younger generation should know about democracy to keep it going. Williamson says that the growing human-technology relationship, coupled with the rapid advances in technology, is moving faster than democracy can. An “old v.s. new” conflict. (This is a conflict McFarland also talks about with leadership techniques). I found that statement interesting because the ideals that Williamson proposes are… kind of old news. In fact, the sources of Williamson’s civic virtues are historical figures and philosophers. It’s an interesting balance. The futuristic advances being balanced out by long-held values. However, these long-held values are so often forgotten by so many. Being only 19, I cannot say for sure whether that was always the case or not, but this essay claims it “feels different this time” (2). Awareness of others and moral humility are BIG values that I think could make a world of difference if they were more widely believed in/genuinely considered. It really is a cognitive exercise, depending on the issue… it isn’t easy. People don’t like gray areas, but the US (as we’ve read) has always been one BIG gray area.
This gray area is shown by Lincoln and by Fredrick Douglas’ description of Lincoln. How Lincoln was a prejudiced, white man. He was a “president of white men”, but he couldn’t have achieved what he did (abolishing slavery, which was an amazing thing) had he been anything else. Realism = gray areas. And this is why looking at all sides of one argument, understanding that you could be wrong, and trying to think about the situations of others is SO SO SO important!
**Tangent: It makes sense that this essay was written by someone who lives in Richmond. Richmond is the epitome of one of the crossroads Williamson mentions: accepting/embracing the new reality vs using public policy to blockade that reality. The monuments are a prime example. And Kehinde Wiley’s sculpture “Rumors of War” that is about to be placed in front of the VMFA is an example of the opposition.
I definitely agree with Williamson’s comment on the human-technology relationship in relation to the government. “Times” are changing extremely quickly, and the government just cannot keep up. There are so many laws that are so out of date, and the government can’t update the laws quickly enough, probably mostly due to the fact that they are so inefficient. You also have a great point about some of those really important values and the impact on society they could have if more people paid some attention to them.
I like how you talked about the new statue going in front of the VMFA. I also think those monuments also hold certain values and morals.
I really like how you said that the US is one big gray area because I completely agree. I feel like the nation is either people who are scared to say something because they’re worried they’ll offend someone or people who speak their mind and offend people. The gray area occurs when these people intersect and when realism happens. Also, knowing all the viewpoints and understanding others is super important.
I like how you mentioned some of Lincoln’s flaws; he is often looked at as flawless and progressive but the truth about who he was is rarely exposed.
I agree that there is always a conflict between old and new. With the phrase ‘Ok boomer’ going viral it only exacerbates the issue. The older generation is hesitant to change whereas the younger generations tend to be more accepting of change.