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October 5, 2007
Mobilize releases the Declaration of our Generation
Below in italics is the draft document, entitled Democracy 2.0 Declaration, that Mobilize.org has put together through an intensive collaboration. They will be posting it as a wiki so that it can be edited by other young people, although I don't see how it could be improved. Apparently, they finished the drafting well after midnight (in the great tradition of the Port Huron Statement) and carried it down to Washington's Tidal Pool to read it to Thomas Jefferson. Some say he shed a tear.
[You may have heard of TJ. He was on the development team of Democracy 1.0. They used a lot of open source components from projects in Greece and England (believe it or not), but they really took the concept to scale for the US market. Their product was kind of buggy. Some users were dissatisfied and there was a big issue around 1860 that almost killed the business. Still, thanks to user input, it turned into a robust platform. The 2.0 upgrade is eagerly anticipated.]
Democracy is an unfinished project. It’s time we upgrade.
We, the Millennial Generation, are uniquely positioned to call attention to today’s issues and shape the future based on the great legacy we have inherited. Our founding fathers intended for every generation to build, indeed to innovate, on the American experience. We realize that as young people we are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow, but we understand that as citizens we are called to be the leaders of today.
We are compelled by the critical state of our present democracy to establish a new vision.
In a world often damaged by conflict and intolerance, we must commit to develop common ground through equality and open mindedness.
In a world often damaged by social isolation and materialism, we must commit to community at the family, local, national and global levels.
In a world often damaged by instant gratification, we must commit to creating sustainable solutions.
In a world often damaged by apathy and disillusionment, we must commit to civic participation and inclusion of all voices.
The present state of our democracy impedes opportunity for real change. We must connect the specific issues failing our population with their underlying systemic causes.
Our government seems unable or unwilling to adequately address our broadest problems, including economic inequality, America’s role in the world, and the effect of money on the democratic process. But we must remember, our government is only as effective as the sum of its citizens. Low civic participation means the most disadvantaged people in society are neglected and we overlook many potential solutions to our problems.
Our generation is telling a different story. We are uniquely positioned to foster community engagement through social networks of all kinds. It is our responsibility to use information and technology to upgrade democracy, transform communication and advance political engagement and civic participation.
We are social networkers, we are multi-taskers, we are communicators and we are opinionated. The informality of our generation breaks down traditional barriers and opens doors for inclusiveness and equality. Most importantly, we are leaders in a society that yearns for leadership.
It’s our democracy, it’s time to act.
October 5, 2007 1:16 PM | category: none