teh following is an article in today's Christian Science Monitor. It
describes how people are not participating in community organizations
any longer. Robert Putnam of Harvard thinks it is because people prefer
their television sets and computers to actual human interaction. I
think it is because people are afraid of interacting with other people.
The politics, the conformity, cliqueishness, and the fear of rejection
all combine to influence our profound isolation from each other.
I don't think there is any issue that is more important to our economic
and political-economic future than this. We ignore history to our
peril, and, today, we are even ignoring our economic history. The more
socially isolated we become, the less we care about our neighbors, and
the more we can tolerate violence, abuse, and social and economic
degeneration, as long as it occurrs to others. When it occurrs to
ourselves, then we have no one to blame but ourselves, and ourshame
will exacerbate our isolation. In my view, this is all encouraged by
our economic and political elite on both the "Right" and "Left."
We no longer even have extended families today as a unit of social
organization. I think that if we look at the history of the American
"South" between the Civil War and World War II, we will see our future.
Hugh McGuire
Elks and Lions (Clubs) may go way of the
dodo
Copyright © 1998 Nando.net
Copyright © 1998 The Christian Science Monitor
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (August 24, 1998 11:25 a.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com) -- Brian Clark, an advertising executive,
followed in his dad's footsteps and joined the Lions Club when he
returned to Little Rock two years ago. But this father-and-son pair is
becoming a rarity.
In the 1990s, civic and fraternal organizations - from the Elks to the
Moose - have seen membership plummet. At the Little Rock Sertoma Club,
for instance, only seven members usually attend the weekly Wednesday
luncheon. Ten years ago, members filled a room that seats close to 50
people.
"Most (of these groups) have been around for nearly 100 years. ...
They've run into trouble because of a lot of social change," says
Robert Putnam, professor of government at Harvard University in
Cambridge, Mass. "People would rather be alone in front of a television
set than out with a group."
Since the 1970s, Americans have altered the way they spend free time.
Instead of going to bridge clubs and supper parties, they watch TV, go
to the gym, surf the Web, or simply relax alone. Families move around
more and break apart more, too.
For organizations like the Lions, which raises money for a number of
charities including the blind, to continue, the next generation must
sign up. But those in Generation X simply don't seem to have any urge
to unite with their fellow man.
"In the past, people felt a need for organized thought," says Chris
Counts, a local actor. "There was a sense of power in unity. Now, I
think, we have an era where individuality is the calling. ... The only
united groups seem to have a negative public image like the IRA or
skinheads and even most political parties."
Personally, he adds, "I'd rather be at home on my computer."
Putnam is writing a book on the future of civic organizations and the
country's need for community. He points to several changing aspects of
American society that parallel the decline in what he calls "animal
clubs."
For instance, dinner parties, once a social staple, have declined 60
percent in the last 20 years. Neighbors no longer visit each other.
That interaction has declined between 20 to 25 percent, according to
Putnam.
Playing cards doesn't even hold appeal anymore. Statistics show that in
the past 15 years card playing has dropped 60 percent. At this rate, no
one will play cards in this country by 2013.
Social and civic groups began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
as a way for people to connect with each other in the midst of change.
Urbanization, immigration, and mechanization rapidly changed life after
the Civil War. As the start of the 21st century looms, the country is
once again suffering disconnection.
People, though, are no longer joiners. They prefer to do a volunteer
project for a day and go home. Many would rather just sign a check than
do any labor. Long-term commitments don't fit well in fast-paced
lifestyles.
Jim Stanley, an Arkansas lawyer, has seen this apathy often. In
September, he will become president of the North Little Rock Sertoma
Club, an organization that helps the hearing and speech impaired. He
has tried several recruitment methods to try to lure people, especially
younger members.
"People seem detached from joining organizations," says Stanley, who
has been involved in several civic groups. "It's this attitude about
me, me, me. It seems the pride of being in these kind of groups is
gone. Even corporations have a different philosophy than they did years
ago."
Once corporations encouraged employees to join Rotary International,
the Lions Club, or Kiwanis. Stanley says this no longer is true.
He wrote 150 letters to local corporations and businesses trying to
recruit new members. Only five responded. Because of changes in tax
laws, many corporations no longer pay organizational dues for
employees.
While roughly 60 percent of Rotary members attend the weekly luncheon,
more businessmen and women are finding it harder to spare an hour or
two to hobnob and listen to speakers.
The element of prestige that these clubs once held has vanished. Many
younger people think that groups such as the Shriners, Masons and
Rotary do not have enough diversity.
Rotary, however, has changed. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1988
allowed women to join the organization. Shortly after the decision, new
women members signed up 20 times faster than men, and today female
membership holds steady.
But the "animal clubs" appear to be teetering on the brink of
extinction. Membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
stood at 1.3 million in 1996, a 21 percent decline from its peak 15
years ago. Between 1985 and 1995, the Lions Club saw membership drop
about 14 percent. The Shriners were off 32 percent from 1979 to 1996,
the Jaycees, 44 percent.
"People would rather sign a check," insists Janet McMahan, public
relations manager for the Lions Club in Oak Brook, Ill.
"It's an unfortunate trend to try and reverse. Clubs like ours give
very valuable services to their communities. People take for granted
that they are around. If they weren't, every community would notice the
difference," she says.
Putnam also cites falling numbers of parent-teacher associations,
volunteers with the Red Cross and the Boy Scouts, and labor union
membership.
Putnam hesitates to say the Internet has played a part in this decline,
saying the decline started before Bill Gates graduated from elementary
school.
Instead, he says, it's simply about reinventing the organizations so
they work again in a new society. "It's a real challenge for the
country," he says. "And yes, the Internet will play into this. It can
be part of the problem or part of the solution."
By SUZI PARKER, The Christian Science Monitor
