1. Write your response to at least ONE of the 4 and,
2. Respond to TWO posts by your classmates.
- What does Doug Porpora argue are the primary ways/reasons we allowed ourselves to become a party to genocide (as discussed in Chapter 6)?
- Define “neighbor.” Having done that, what is your response to Porpora’s assertion on p. 181?
It takes a positive morality of radical commitment to one’s neighbor to extend the concept of neighbor to those one does not see face to face, to extend the responsibilities of neighborliness to suffering peasants in a remote country. It takes such a radical commitment to neighborliness to care about the effects of political decisions on our neighbors everywhere. That, however, is a commitment that is largely unknown in mainstream American Christendom.
- Comment on Porpora’s assertion on page 197 that:
Most people are not used to considering knowledge a responsibility. When it comes to responsibility, we tend to focus on our actions, not on what is inside our heads. We tend to assume that if we act in good faith, that is, if we act on whatever knowledge we have with the best of intentions then what we do is not really blameworthy, even if it has negative consequences.
- What, if anything, do you take issue with Porpora about in his book? Explain your reasoning fully.
Generally, a neighbor is a person who lives in your general area. I believe that this area does not refer to an entire country. To me, it refers to, at most, a town. The definition of a neighbor is only determined by the closeness in their geographic location, rather than a spiritual bond or a commitment to each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with his assertion that if we were to call everyone a neighbor of each other, we would not understand nor uphold a commitment to each other. I feel that in modern day America, the commitment people tend to have is only to themselves and therefore this idea of a neighbor that entails the world is lost.
Porpora's assertion on page 197 is definitely eye-opening. If you read back a little before the actual quote, Porpora mentions how Americans may say "we did not know" about the events of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. He says, "it was our duty to know" and I agree with him 100%. Knowledge is a responsibility, as our actions are. For example, you cannot claim ignorance of the law when pursuing illegal activity. It is our duty to know what is right and what is wrong and it is our responsibility to do right, once we know what right is. Even when we act in good faith, when we act on whatever knowledge we have with best of intentions, we ARE still blameworthy, with negative consequences or results. It is our duty to know beforehand.
ReplyDeleteResponse to the "NEIGHBOR" Question:
ReplyDeleteInstead of going to the dictionary for a definition of neighbor, I would like to use the parable of the "Good Samaritan" as an example of what a true neighbor is. In the New Testament, the story of the "Good Samaritan" was in response to the question, "who is my neighbor?," that was asked to clarify the second greatest commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself." Through the parable, we can see that a neighbor is more than a person who shares the same street or even a faithful friend. According to the parable, a neighbor is someone who is willing to help others, no matter whether the person in need is a friend or enemy, no matter what the cost.
So, I would agree with the sentiment that Porpora expresses in saying that our neighbors are more than people that we see day to day, but that our understanding of them should branch out to include the multitudes of people in our communities and beyond that need our help.
I also believe that in a society where each person is trying to reach the "American Dream" it can be difficult to always think of the suffering, especially if people have just come out of a period of their own suffering. While, this is no excuse to neglect the needs of other human beings, I hope that people, in mainstream American Christendom, exist to stand and meet the needs of others no matter what the cost.
By asserting that staying conscious of one's government is a duty, Porpora presents a controversial idea. Isn't the choice to stay informed no different from the decision to purchase a house or send one's children to private school? The difference, in reality, is huge. If citizens do not actively seek knowledge about their government, they put other members of their community, and even people far away, at risk. Porpora's thesis, that the American people's indifference about the events in Central America allowed genocide to occur, rests on the assumption that lack of knowledge is dangerous. If we do not know, we cannot care; if we have no compassion, we cannot act to change the course of events. In other words, knowing about the current issues is not an option; it is the obligation of each citizen. This kind of knowledge, furthermore, cannot be obtained by a cursory glance at the newspaper; it means thoroughly understanding today's problems and our lawmakers' reactions to them. Just as we pay taxes, we need to truly know about the state of our society- both of these actions allow our country to function and, thus, must be considered compulsory.
ReplyDeletePorpora argues that there is a widespread attitude of indifference within the American public. The suffering Central Americans have little relevance to the lives of average citizens in the United States. During the 1980s, the economy became stable and this helped elevate President Reagan's approval ratings. The concerns of most people were satisfied, and the American public felt that the instability in Central America was not important enough to care about.
ReplyDeleteA neighbor can mean two things. From a more literal perspective, a neighbor could just be someone who lives relatively close to someone's home. However, in a more general sense, a neighbor can be defined as any person in the world. This humanitarian definition is more difficult for many to observe, especially when two societies have great distances from each other. Porpora argues that although Christianity supports the notion that all human beings should be considered "neighbors," most Americans only are passionate about issues concerning themselves or those directly around them. I agree with Porpora in that our society should be more aware of human rights issues throughout the world. It is hypocritical to ignore the suffering of other human beings while stating that all people are equal.
As Dan said..
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Americans claim that we are the best/need to be the best/want to be the best country in the world. How can we claim that if we know of terrible events and do nothing about them? In that event, we become an enabler and are at threat to lose all creditability and to defy the purpose of our country.
A neighbor, as we have come to know and use the term, is a 2nd person who lives in close proximity (but in a different household) then the first person. There is often a special, more trusting relationship among these people, and there are societal expectations that they know, are kind to, and watch out for each other. Porpoea asserts that in order to prevent holocausts, this type of neighborliness must be extended to all citizens. Porpora's argue's that this type of caring is rare in "American Christendom," an assertion that I believe to be accurate, however I disagree that this uncaring is restricted to christians, but rather all Americans, regardless of religion. I do not believe however that all, or even most Americans are totally uncaring about their fellow man, however I agree that they do not care on the level of a neighbor.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what was said in several comments- that we don't really care about citizens far away from us on the level of our closest neighbors. But I don't really know that it is necessary to care about people so deeply to recognize that they are in trouble and need our help. We can know what is right and act on this notion without having such a heartfelt compassion. Building up the emotion before acting may not be realistic; we should act on our knowledge.
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ReplyDeleteKNOWLEDGE vs RESPONSIBILITY
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with what he has to say about responsibility being tied to our actions. we each make decisions every day based upon what we believe, rooted in previous knowledge and experiences, is the right decision. Acting responsibly can include not driving drunk, wearing your seat belt, or telling your friend that their boyfriend may be cheating on them. However, if your friend gets upset that her boyfriend cheated on her, yet he denies it, and then in turn she gets mad at you, are your actions wrong? was it your duty to tell your friend someone she would want to know? even if he is cheating and they break up, your friend is still devastated. is this your fault? it would have been worse not to let her know what was going on with her boyfriend, but would it have been better if she found out by herself? Sometimes it is hard to know when you should act on knowledge and what is your responsibility.
The saying "Knowledge is power" is clichéd but in this case very applicable and true. Whether or not we want the power we sometimes find ourselves with, we have the sudden responsibility to come to a decision on how to act on this new power. In the cases of some sort of crime or misdoing we might witness, we're quick to ignore them so to avoid any blame, like Porpora states. Yet, as history tells, the apathy of good men is just as blameworthy as the crimes committed by bad men. Consciously deciding to not act on any information we may have is still an action, and still warrants blame. On the contrary, promulgating information without proper consideration of the consequences just to relieve yourself of the burden of secrecy is just as worthy of blame. I think Porpora would promote this sort of unloading information, regardless of the consequences to others. Now the blame is spread among several people who are now subject to the punishment that may come with their new responsibility because of the information you have unrightfully put on them. This isn't fair to the people who never wanted to be involved.
ReplyDeleteIn reponse to Porpora, I don't necessarily agree with his assertion that the Americans are to blame by not knowing information about every political and military event that may take place, and believe that he's expecting too much of the American population. I think Porpora is chastising Americans for living in a state of ignorance, however wrong that may be, but in a state of content ignorance. If we are to dig and push and strive for information, it seems we'll live in a perpetual state of pessimism, constant questioning fueled by paranoia. I believe in having an informed society, but there is a point where we have to realize that, as much as we may educate ourselves, there is a limit to how we may educate others and how we can act on our knowledge.
Neighbor: When asked to define neighbor I actually came up with two different definitions. First there is the physical neighbor: the people who live in the houses on either side of your home. For me, the two people who live on either side of me are older couples who sent their children (in their twenties now) to Montclair highschool. These neighbors are not a fan of my family because they feel as though if the Montclair school system was good enough for their kids… why isn’t it good enough for us? I have no emotional connection whatsoever to my physical neighbors. On the other hand, there are the “neighbors”. Of all my closest friends, one lives farther down on my street, and the other lives one street away. Are they my physical neighbors? No. however when I talk about them, I always refer to them as my neighbors because they live relatively close to me, and because we share an emotional bond (friendship). In a much less literal sense, I consider people that I share things in common with to be my neighbors. People like the lifers at MKA, Some of these people live far away, however I’ve lived with them at school for the past 14 years of my life. Whether or not we’re friends, we know each other very well. So in response to Porpora’s assertion that it is hard for people to be neighborly to people who they do not agree with, or who they do not see in real life, I agree. It is hard to be compassionate towards people that you cannot relate to. As an example – I am FRIENDLY with many of the students who came to MKA later in the process, however I am NEIGHBORLY with the people who I have been coming to school with since I was four.
ReplyDeleteRESPONSE TO POLINA'S POST:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Polina's statement that the stakes are high if people in a nation do not actively seek information of what the government is truly doing. Because we are a democracy, we should use our freedoms to try to better our society rather than abuse our freedom with apathy.
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ReplyDeleteI disagree with Adria's comment to Dan's entry. America is the most generous country in the world, both its government and its people give the most of any nation on earth in foreign aid. I also totally disagree that we do nothing about terrible events, as no country has done more in the last century to stop these terrible events (eg fighting in world war one, two, korea, iraq, afghanistan, the balkans, and others.) So i totally disagree with your conclusion that we have "become an enabler and are at threat to lose all creditability and to defy the purpose of our country.
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From a rather dictionary-defined stand point, a neighbor is one who lives in the same general vicinity as another. However, if one takes a closer look into neighborliness, a neighbor is one who has built a relationship with another and is willing to selflessly aid the person in their time of need.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Porpora's statement that discusses the fact that people who live next to each other may or may not agree on various topics and this fact may make it difficult to be a true neighbor. When reading this, I immediately thought of the relations between various countries that are next to each other. They exist together, but may not live by the qualities that demonstrate neighborliness.
Porpora's assertion on page 197 draws the attentions of readers in discovering a cause for how action and prevention of a Holocaust were neglected. Knowledge is in fact a responsibility of Humans, and is often cast to the side when acknowledging ones own faults. We have taught ourselves to accept our own mistakes (which at many times may be a good thing) however modern society has gotten to the point of accepting our faults due to our own ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAs Dan said, it is our duty to know, just as it is our duty to vote. We must begin to acknowledge internal responsibilities as well as outward actions. It is in fact our own duty to know beforehand.
To the Evan/Adria debacle, I feel we are taking extreme stances on this issue. When taking a view from the middle, rather than extreme right or left, you can see the credibility in both arguments. Yes, America offers great foreign aid to many tragedies across the world, and when looking at history no other country in the world has compared to the actions of the US. However when looking solely at WW2, America did not become involved until after the attacks of Pearl Harbor. If we truly were aware, and knowledgeable, of the events of the Holocaust, we would not have waited until we were PHYSICALLY directly affected.
Before reading HHH, I defined neighbor purely by proximity; a neighbor is someone who lives directly around you. However, Porpora defines a neighbor as a state of conscious humanity, rather than solely a state of physical proximity. His definition of neighborly behavior extends far beyond the physical location; to be neighborly means to genuinely have concern and interest in the fate of our global neighbors both near and far. As truly aware and morally conscious neighbors, we should try to prevent genocide and other Holocaust-like events from happening across the world, and we certainly should not support leaders who instill policies of brutality on their own people. In order to be good neighbors, Americans must take an interest in their own government. As Porpora asserts, voting is simply not enough. We are not doing our duty as neighbors unless we actively seek out information about events happening around us and truly care about the fate of others. Rather than suppressing intellectualism, critical thinking should be embraced to better help those in need around the world. If we are active participants who truly care about the plight of people around us, then we will become true neighbors.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Polina in that as members of a democratic and free society like America, we have more of a duty to become involved in seeking out information about what is happening around us. Unlike Nazi Germany, we are not in danger if we speak out against our government's policy or try to cause awareness about an issue happening overseas. We must fully utilize the freedoms we have in order to maintain a true state of neighborliness.