Seeking Respect
Why else would you pull up your socks?
We often forget – and make far too little use of – the desire of people to belong to a community and to enjoy the respect of their neighbors. Distorted as they often are by hypocrisy and competition, these are the wellsprings of human sociality and our best hope for learning to live in peace and sustainability, both within nations and internationally. Arguably one of the most important potential forces for decency in the world today is the existence of at least one international “club” where admission depends on acceptable behavior. The club that is so desirable these days that whole nations are “pulling up their socks” and adjusting their public behavior is the European Union.
With its gradual expansion into Eastern Europe, nations are adjusting their standards of social, economic, and environmental policy to earn respect and inclusion, often after many decades of authoritarian rule. The newest members are Bulgaria and Romania. Whether the EU standards are perfectly defined or ideally applied, they are already having a positive effect.
In general, within the United States we look at exclusive organizations with suspicion, knowing that they are likely to reinforce prejudice and reduce equality of access. Pulling up your socks will not earn admission from a whites-only country club or a men-only fraternal organization if you happen to belong to the excluded group. From its inception, the United Nations has put inclusiveness ahead of selectivity, and this is probably appropriate – there needs to be a place where talk continues in spite of smoldering hostility or disdain. But it does mean that although UN membership does nominally involve accepting some international standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, acceptance has often been pro forma, without even a significant pretence of conformity. With the UN in place, however, it has become possible for other international organizations to be more selective and to use selectivity in positive ways.
We may need more of it. Not surprisingly, one of the commonest criticisms of regional trade associations like NAFTA is that admission is not adequately contingent on protections of labor and the environment – but then again, these memberships have not really been designed with that possibility in mind. Maybe the standards of membership need review. But maybe not, because many people believe that any process that increases the occasions for talk and interaction is likely (but not certain) to work for civility.
Legislation helps, but the values of civility are learned over generations. It has been conspicuously easier for the Soviet “satellite” nations that were independent up to World War II to adjust to European standards than for nations that had almost no experience of independence to draw on in their transition from the autocracy of Czarist or Ottoman rule or subservience to other imperialist powers, like the Central Asian republics, for civility takes time to build (or to eradicate) – often several generations.
Which brings us to recent events in Turkey. The assassination of Hrant Dink, the cosmopolitan editor of a bilingual (Armenian-Turkish) newspaper in Istanbul, has triggered demonstrations of solidarity with Armenians all over Turkey. There we see the EU process at work. A large number of Turks want membership in the EU, both for practical reasons and because they genuinely feel like a part of Europe. But as long as Turkey is seen as a place where journalists are murdered and where even referring to historical events like the Armenian genocide can lead to imprisonment, Turkey is unlikely to be welcomed.
We all benefit when being allowed into the club depends on playing nice, even when the standards are not fully internalized and much of the effort seems cosmetic. As is true of courage, the pretence of civility is half the journey. Bulgaria and Rumania are among many examples where preparation for EU membership has led to self examination and reform, and large numbers of Turks seem to want to follow their path.
This piece was first posted on www.ilfpost.org, the blogsite of the International Leadership Forum.
We often forget – and make far too little use of – the desire of people to belong to a community and to enjoy the respect of their neighbors. Distorted as they often are by hypocrisy and competition, these are the wellsprings of human sociality and our best hope for learning to live in peace and sustainability, both within nations and internationally. Arguably one of the most important potential forces for decency in the world today is the existence of at least one international “club” where admission depends on acceptable behavior. The club that is so desirable these days that whole nations are “pulling up their socks” and adjusting their public behavior is the European Union.
With its gradual expansion into Eastern Europe, nations are adjusting their standards of social, economic, and environmental policy to earn respect and inclusion, often after many decades of authoritarian rule. The newest members are Bulgaria and Romania. Whether the EU standards are perfectly defined or ideally applied, they are already having a positive effect.
In general, within the United States we look at exclusive organizations with suspicion, knowing that they are likely to reinforce prejudice and reduce equality of access. Pulling up your socks will not earn admission from a whites-only country club or a men-only fraternal organization if you happen to belong to the excluded group. From its inception, the United Nations has put inclusiveness ahead of selectivity, and this is probably appropriate – there needs to be a place where talk continues in spite of smoldering hostility or disdain. But it does mean that although UN membership does nominally involve accepting some international standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, acceptance has often been pro forma, without even a significant pretence of conformity. With the UN in place, however, it has become possible for other international organizations to be more selective and to use selectivity in positive ways.
We may need more of it. Not surprisingly, one of the commonest criticisms of regional trade associations like NAFTA is that admission is not adequately contingent on protections of labor and the environment – but then again, these memberships have not really been designed with that possibility in mind. Maybe the standards of membership need review. But maybe not, because many people believe that any process that increases the occasions for talk and interaction is likely (but not certain) to work for civility.
Legislation helps, but the values of civility are learned over generations. It has been conspicuously easier for the Soviet “satellite” nations that were independent up to World War II to adjust to European standards than for nations that had almost no experience of independence to draw on in their transition from the autocracy of Czarist or Ottoman rule or subservience to other imperialist powers, like the Central Asian republics, for civility takes time to build (or to eradicate) – often several generations.
Which brings us to recent events in Turkey. The assassination of Hrant Dink, the cosmopolitan editor of a bilingual (Armenian-Turkish) newspaper in Istanbul, has triggered demonstrations of solidarity with Armenians all over Turkey. There we see the EU process at work. A large number of Turks want membership in the EU, both for practical reasons and because they genuinely feel like a part of Europe. But as long as Turkey is seen as a place where journalists are murdered and where even referring to historical events like the Armenian genocide can lead to imprisonment, Turkey is unlikely to be welcomed.
We all benefit when being allowed into the club depends on playing nice, even when the standards are not fully internalized and much of the effort seems cosmetic. As is true of courage, the pretence of civility is half the journey. Bulgaria and Rumania are among many examples where preparation for EU membership has led to self examination and reform, and large numbers of Turks seem to want to follow their path.
This piece was first posted on www.ilfpost.org, the blogsite of the International Leadership Forum.
posted by Mary Catherine Bateson at 1:14 PM
2 Comments:
While is is true that in Bulgaria and Rumania "preparation for EU membership has led to self examination and reform", the round image should not exclude the forced, rushed and inefficient way this 'preparation' was done there, under the pressures of the now interested EU in including the new comers: securing the EU borders OUT of the old club and extending its markets. Thank you for the article anyway!
A more European Romanian since Jan 1st 2007, and admirerer of your works
Thank you for the insightful article. What role do you see the US having with the EU to promote civility?
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