Response to "Bad American"

The following blog posting is in response to the "Bad American" http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/the_bad_american/
This response was for a blackboard discussion in Clemson University's Youth Development Leadership Master's Program.

The writer's remarks are characteristic of an ethnocentric viewpoint: "An ethnocentric orientation involves the interpretation of events and behaviors from one's own cultural viewpoint. The ethnocentric stages, based on a predominant monocultural perspective, are viewed as a way to avoid cultural difference by denying the existence of differences, by using defenses against difference, or by minimizing the importance of difference (Bennett, 1993; Van Hook, p. 69).

But the writer's remarks are supported by the Constitution of the United States (Amendment 1 to the constitution) http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html. Although the "Bad American" is protected, I'd suggest that this is not what, at least, Thomas Jefferson supported when he fought for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights: "Rights must be spelled out, carved as it were in stone, and fixed beyond any fainthearted doubt or bureaucratic gibberish" (Gaustad, 1996, p. 82). In other words, he believed in specificity in terms of the right of the citizen, though one could argue his lack of understanding in regard to the rights of all humanity as a slave owner. Jefferson, as well as other founding fathers, were creating a radically, new nation within a context of religious, economic and humanitarian persecution. For example, during this time in history (the 18th century), novelist Daniel Defoe wrote Moll Flanders, which characterized England's depravity as well as the inherent issues with early colonization in the Americas. Defoe's social commentary depicted the lack of justice for citizenry in the law. This was the political and religious backdrop of the founding fathers. Thus, this became their impetus for clarifying the rights of citizens.

But unfortunately in today's society, those rights have been stretched to support xenophobia among those that live and work in the U.S. And more value judgements are made on the internal dimensions of a person (age, race, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, and sexual orientation) rather than one's personality or personhood. The following link is to a story in Paulding County, Georgia that is relevant to this topic of freedom of speech: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/news/21245741/detail.html

Robert Frost's notion of "building good fences makes good neighbors" needs to be reexamined by youth professionals in terms of promoting positive youth development. Although we will acknowledge differences in one another, we can't appreciate a youth's personality unless we move pass those differences and look towards the potential contributions he/she can make in the community. One way of doing that is to leave stereotypes at the front door of our organizations and develop a common language that we all understand--one that's built upon mutual respect and reciprocity. This can only happen when a culture of collaboration with all stakeholders is instilled in our youth-serving organizations. It's more than giving voice; it's advocating for empowerment.

Reference:
Gaustad, E. S. (1996). Sworn on the altar of God: a religious biography of Thomas Jefferson. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing.