02-16-2019, 08:25 PM
You bring up a good point that has been a common refrain within our discourse on the sidewalk clearing issue. Mike Farwell was probably the most blunt about it.
He basically said that ONLY by clearing your own sidewalk are you doing something good for the community, by advocating for, supporting, and paying taxes you are in fact not doing something for your community.
I find this an absurd and self serving belief. I believe that what helps my community is not my sidewalk being clear, it is having sidewalks in general accessible to everyone. Advocating for a policy, and making any sacrifice, fiscal, time, effort, to achieve this end is what is actually benefits our community.
If one instead advocates for a policy that can not, and does not work in practice, you are doing harm to the community, but justifying it believing you are doing good. Nobody wants to think they are bad or harmful. And lemme be clear, this is a broader judgement on society, and our ability to justify whatever behaviour we prefer based on nothing. How many conservatives believe cutting social services help people get back to work. In our case, it's being used to justify against policies which could keep sidewalks consistently clear.
He basically said that ONLY by clearing your own sidewalk are you doing something good for the community, by advocating for, supporting, and paying taxes you are in fact not doing something for your community.
I find this an absurd and self serving belief. I believe that what helps my community is not my sidewalk being clear, it is having sidewalks in general accessible to everyone. Advocating for a policy, and making any sacrifice, fiscal, time, effort, to achieve this end is what is actually benefits our community.
If one instead advocates for a policy that can not, and does not work in practice, you are doing harm to the community, but justifying it believing you are doing good. Nobody wants to think they are bad or harmful. And lemme be clear, this is a broader judgement on society, and our ability to justify whatever behaviour we prefer based on nothing. How many conservatives believe cutting social services help people get back to work. In our case, it's being used to justify against policies which could keep sidewalks consistently clear.