@daniel_kurz Dr. Mike Robinson: Is democracy as we know it in America at risk because of what appears to be a lack of understanding of civics, elections, and governance?
Daniel B Kurz: Democracy in America is absolutely at risk due to a lack of civic education and awareness. The American system of government is an incredibly complex mechanism operating at multiple levels at once. It takes years of study to familiarize yourself with it. We have interloping Federal, State, and Local systems, all of which are dynamic and evolving for centuries. And it’s just not knowing how the system works, of course, but how we as individuals can appropriately interact and influence it, either as citizens, candidates or officeholders.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should there be an emphasis on civic education?
Daniel B Kurz: We should go beyond just an emphasis on civic education; we need to include it on all levels at every grade. Students should always be learning about our governmental systems and how to interact with them at all ages effectively.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What aspect of the election and governance systems do you believe all Americans need to understand and why it operates the way it has for centuries?
Daniel B Kurz: This question means a lot because it gets to the heart of what’s essential about citizenship’s central concepts and behaviors. All Americans, of course, should be decently versed in the details of governmental institutions and models. But what students need to know is how to interact with people in positions of power consistently. How can you work to influence them while at the same time not become completely consumed with one’s anger and frustrations over our issues?
Constant citizen interaction with the system is one of the keys here. Communicating with officeholders via email (or written mail), getting involved in the election process, voting, and getting others to vote. Our governmental system is not static; it’s based on the notion that everyone is constantly working to exchange ideas, learn, and influence. It’s a very ‘A-Type’ Personality kind of thing, and that’s crucial to understand. It’s not about being subservient or keeping one’s head down, to wish for a better day, to wait for things to ‘blow over.’ It doesn’t work like that in dynamic political systems.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do we need an Education Czar or a national Civic Education curriculum?
Daniel B Kurz: I do not think we need an Education Czar, per se, because we already have one in the Secretary of Education's figure. It would be a very good idea for the U.S. Department of Education to create a series of summertime learning institutes for civic ed, for teachers and students. But some of the most critical decisions in our lives occur at the state and local level, so knowledge of local affairs and systems is also central to understanding and civic functionality. Here is where the states can get involved, but many state officials do not have a decent familiarity with their state constitutions or their history.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think if Americans had a better understanding of our election and governance systems, we could have avoided the chaos in U. S. Capitol?
Daniel B Kurz: Absolutely. The chaos and death at the Capitol were based on several levels of misinformation. Of course, the first was the idea that Mail-in voting creates systemic fraud, which does not. In fact, it does the opposite, with every ballot being traceable at every step. The second was the ridiculous idea that the new administration's election could have been halted either by stopping Congressional functions or with the Vice President exercising some mysterious veto. I cannot emphasize the importance of the latter; most insurrectionists were totally under the impression that the Vice President has the Constitutional power to veto an entire national election. Of course, no such power exists or has ever existed.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Is it possible to hold political leaders accountable if there is a lack of understanding of American Civics?
Daniel B Kurz: Yes, it is. Our political leaders, or rather some of them, have created our current context. The vast economic inequalities, the severity of the pandemic, the misinformation – all if this could have been avoided. So leadership is very responsible. In many ways, modern teachers lie to their students. They tell students that the results of their lives are due to the choices they’ve made, and of course, that is not the truth. Yes, there are choices we make in life, but no one determines the context. And right now, over the past year, this context could only be accurately described as “unfathomably apocalyptic.”
Daniel Kurz is a Professor of Political Science and History. Rutgers graduate, B.A. (History), M.A. (Political Science) Middlesex County College
Edison, NJ
Daniel B Kurz: Democracy in America is absolutely at risk due to a lack of civic education and awareness. The American system of government is an incredibly complex mechanism operating at multiple levels at once. It takes years of study to familiarize yourself with it. We have interloping Federal, State, and Local systems, all of which are dynamic and evolving for centuries. And it’s just not knowing how the system works, of course, but how we as individuals can appropriately interact and influence it, either as citizens, candidates or officeholders.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Should there be an emphasis on civic education?
Daniel B Kurz: We should go beyond just an emphasis on civic education; we need to include it on all levels at every grade. Students should always be learning about our governmental systems and how to interact with them at all ages effectively.
Dr. Mike Robinson: What aspect of the election and governance systems do you believe all Americans need to understand and why it operates the way it has for centuries?
Daniel B Kurz: This question means a lot because it gets to the heart of what’s essential about citizenship’s central concepts and behaviors. All Americans, of course, should be decently versed in the details of governmental institutions and models. But what students need to know is how to interact with people in positions of power consistently. How can you work to influence them while at the same time not become completely consumed with one’s anger and frustrations over our issues?
Constant citizen interaction with the system is one of the keys here. Communicating with officeholders via email (or written mail), getting involved in the election process, voting, and getting others to vote. Our governmental system is not static; it’s based on the notion that everyone is constantly working to exchange ideas, learn, and influence. It’s a very ‘A-Type’ Personality kind of thing, and that’s crucial to understand. It’s not about being subservient or keeping one’s head down, to wish for a better day, to wait for things to ‘blow over.’ It doesn’t work like that in dynamic political systems.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do we need an Education Czar or a national Civic Education curriculum?
Daniel B Kurz: I do not think we need an Education Czar, per se, because we already have one in the Secretary of Education's figure. It would be a very good idea for the U.S. Department of Education to create a series of summertime learning institutes for civic ed, for teachers and students. But some of the most critical decisions in our lives occur at the state and local level, so knowledge of local affairs and systems is also central to understanding and civic functionality. Here is where the states can get involved, but many state officials do not have a decent familiarity with their state constitutions or their history.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Do you think if Americans had a better understanding of our election and governance systems, we could have avoided the chaos in U. S. Capitol?
Daniel B Kurz: Absolutely. The chaos and death at the Capitol were based on several levels of misinformation. Of course, the first was the idea that Mail-in voting creates systemic fraud, which does not. In fact, it does the opposite, with every ballot being traceable at every step. The second was the ridiculous idea that the new administration's election could have been halted either by stopping Congressional functions or with the Vice President exercising some mysterious veto. I cannot emphasize the importance of the latter; most insurrectionists were totally under the impression that the Vice President has the Constitutional power to veto an entire national election. Of course, no such power exists or has ever existed.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Is it possible to hold political leaders accountable if there is a lack of understanding of American Civics?
Daniel B Kurz: Yes, it is. Our political leaders, or rather some of them, have created our current context. The vast economic inequalities, the severity of the pandemic, the misinformation – all if this could have been avoided. So leadership is very responsible. In many ways, modern teachers lie to their students. They tell students that the results of their lives are due to the choices they’ve made, and of course, that is not the truth. Yes, there are choices we make in life, but no one determines the context. And right now, over the past year, this context could only be accurately described as “unfathomably apocalyptic.”
Daniel Kurz is a Professor of Political Science and History. Rutgers graduate, B.A. (History), M.A. (Political Science) Middlesex County College
Edison, NJ