Dignity is defined as the quality of being worthy of honor and respect. How does this apply to the overall American condition?
There seems to be a great lack of dignity these days, compared to the days of olde, which weren't so very long ago. The flowery prose of cultured English writers and the writings of American statesmen of the 17 & 1800's were awash in carefully crafted elucidations of the inherent nobility of man but since then we've backslid terribly, in my estimation. No longer are there high hopes that mankind, given the support of education, the guidance of chosen religion, and the nourishment that comes from proper governance, can grow into distinguished creatures. Nowadays man is just a commodity, common, and though we still claim to be setting the cultural standard- proudly saying that America is the 'Number One Country In The World', the actual way we treat our citizens shows that we have a long way to go.
We’re not turkeys! We’re EAGLES!
Tof Mayanoff- Unsplash.com
We talk about 'basic human dignity' as if there was an acceptable level of this quality, and as competitive Americans are wont to do, we set the bar for such acceptability low and claim that the lesser ones are being treated appropriately. Are they?
While 'tis true that some individual citizens can't be raised up very far due to their having non-conformity issues, say their mental abilities might be subpar, we seem perfectly able to classify whole groups of people as being not worth more than basic consideration. “To the most competitive go the spoils and it must be that way lest the competitive ones lose their edge and they themselves be dominated” is the belief.
There's a lot of fear there, fear is driving this. God forbid that any of the ultra-competitive should adopt a softer stance for to do so would be to expose a weakness. That's why we're Number One- we let no possibility escape our ability to exercise it, play with it, try it out in real life. This keeps us one step ahead of ‘the competition’, inside this country or without. Don't mess with me or us, 'cuz we're masters of the craft of craftiness.
Can we drop that sort of thinking? It has served us in the past, very well, but it hobbles us in moving forward. Many progressive countries in the world have shown that they can be competitive and raise the social standards bar. But never mind that, many Americans say. We've covered our messy moral obligations. What more do you want? The less capable, willing, or cunning have their 'basic human dignity’ needs met.
At least they have that.
They have the minimal acceptable degree of honor and respect. That should be enough. Any more than that has to be earned by achievement. Greater honor and respect must be given those who advance themselves and/or the overall human condition. The more capable and active participants deserve it.
Okay. I can see sense in that sort of reasoning but again, I would have to say that the bar that measures basic human dignity has been steadily lowered over time, and when in political, business, and social arenas there exist wildly divergent positions on what constitutes 'honor' and 'respect' it says a lot about where we as a country stand. When the gap between the rich and the not so is incomprehensibly vast, the justification is always "At least those at the bottom are treated with basic human dignity".
Nah. Nobody really believes that. Basic human dignity is under attack in these times and what has been offered up as such is not what We The People would ever choose, if they were given a choice. It's that simple.
Conditioning the populace to be content with meager and miserly shares blinds them to the glaring amount of honor and respect that this country is capable of providing. Fulfilling the vision, the lofty ideals the Founding Fathers had for this pristine and beautiful gift of a country, filled with so much potential, costs money so ‘be content with less’ is the message.
Be satisfied with your lot because at least you have your 'basic human dignity' needs met.
Hogwash, say I! We deserve much better.