Essay - Community and Democracy in Modern America Both Stephen C. Carter...

Community and Democracy in Modern America

Both Stephen C. Carter essay on "Welcom*****g the Stranger" ***** Cornel West's The Moral Obligati*****s of Living in a Democratic Society" grapple with the problem ***** what it means for a commun*****y of ********** live in a democratic society like *****. America is a society that is dedicated to advancing ***** notion of individual freedom rather than ensuring ***** individuals have a sense of societal obligation to their fellow human beings far away—or even to strangers living nearby. Both authors stress that *****, although based upon the ideal ***** individual choice and free will must move into the next century with a sense of ***** cohesive social body. America's spirit must remain pluralistic enough so that diversity ***** individual difference are not stifled by intolerance. Americans can***** become so obsessed with ***** private lives, with their cloistered neighborhoods, ***** with ***** cars, ***** they have no sense of obligation to the larger American and global society they live in, and are a part ***** as Americans and as human beings.

In his essay, West stresses that there is a moral obligation that human beings ask, not what makes them American, merely but also "What kind of species are we?" Ancient tribalism, says West, accompanied ***** the expansion of capitalism *****out care for the ***** it hurts, now holds the globe in sway. West says ***** the sight ***** a morally callous America frightens him. There is no sense of responsibility of ***** rich or the middle class or elevates the *****s of the poor at home or abroad. West ***** t***** is a cultural decay. This overly individualistic attitude denies the purpose of what it means ***** be human, and to live in a society as well ***** enjoy freedom.

***** Carter stresses the death of community on a more individual level. He mourns a society that is so lacking in civility that individuals cannot behave properly to one another in their *****, because of the *****olation of ***** ***** class life. A ***** of obligation that used to be extended to strangers has evaporated. People only care about who ***** what they are familiar with, even as our knowledge of the world grows lager. The individual is harmed morally, and ***** community as a whole ***** hurt by such a sense of estrangement.

Both West and Carter thus grapple ***** the same issue, from different angles. ***** takes a global perspective of ignoring the needs of others, stressing how American selfishness affects even from an exploited third world laborer to an underpaid employee at Wal-Mart. ***** is ***** concerned about America in particular, and ***** contemporary social isolation leads to a decline in concern for strangers—if we ***** not *****sociated with someone, we do ***** care ***** ***** or her. But though Carter calls f***** civility and social action, and West, moral compunction and social *****, both ***** address the same *****.

***** must not put its ***** o***** individualism aside, b*****th authors