Are we Citizens or Subjects?
I heard this question asked by a radio show host named Dana Lash. If you google her, you might find that you don't agree with all (or any) of her viewpoints. Honestly, I don't either. I have yet to find two people who agree 100% on anything.
But the question was interesting. In this post, I am going to reflect on my personal connotation of these words rather than the denotation.
Just as a quick reminder:
- connotation is the social, cultural, or emotional meaning associated with a word
- denotation is the literal meaning or "definition meaning"
What is a SUBJECT?
Immediately, I think of a king or queen and his/her respective kingdom. Kingdoms are filled with subjects - people who are not the supreme ruler of the land. What the supreme leader communicates verbally or in written is the rule of the land, and anyone who does not obey will face consequences.
Many ancient kings and queens viewed themselves as gods and expected their subjects to treat them as such. Whether free or enslaved, subjects of these kingdoms (whether by force or by choice) submitted themselves to the rule of their king or queen.
- Disobedience was met with death.
- Questions were met with contempt.
- Revolts were met with military power.
What is a CITIZEN?
When I think of a citizen, I think of an individual who actively participates in a larger community. The idea of citizenship, in its purest form, implies that citizens hold certain rights and can exercise certain responsibilities.
A citizen does not live his/her life completely free of leadership but rather shapes the community and participates in the choosing of leaders. And we choose, a citizen steps up to lead.
- Differing views are acceptable.
- Questions are welcomed.
- Change happens in the community as the members of the community change as individuals.
Which is better?
Absolute power corrupts absolutely, but exercising freedom that infringes on others' rights creates chaos.
Neither is inherently better. The answer to this question largely depends on the character of the leader and the character of the people. People will still seek to gain power within the system that they live and operate. Poor people will still need resources and will struggle to gain them. The elderly will still leave us and their wisdom will leave with them. And the young will still have much vigor without decades of life experience to guide their enthusiasm.
I want to hear from you.
- What do you think of when you hear the word subject?
- Do you feel differently about the word citizen?
- Which would you prefer to be called? Why?
Thanks for stopping by!
What an interesting question. I have often thought about the real meaning of "citizen", but rarely about the word "subject" because it feels so old-fashioned. There are so few "subjects" remaining in this world...
Or are there? I see the literal meaning of the word "citizen" as the inhabitant of a city. The medieval city-states of Europe were integral to the development of trade and commerce, as I vaguely remember it from my study of history at university... so I always think of citizenship as a kind of evolution away from feudalism and blind obedience to royalty.
Citizenship is usually seen as a two-way street, where you have responsibilities to government and the community, as well as receiving protection and civil rights. So I would certainly prefer to be called a citizen than a subject. But I think that the word "citizen" is also starting to fall out of favour in some respects, as the term is increasingly associated with invasions of privacy and personal freedom, iniquitous taxation and government corruption. As a result, the meaning of the word "citizen" is coming closer to the meaning of "subject", because citizens are subject to so many rules and regulations - for example, rules governing freedom of speech are tightening so much that people are being jailed for hate speech when they expressly intended no offence. In this way I think there is a danger that citizens are becoming subjects.
Phew! A thought-provoking question on a topic that I think about a lot these days!
Good definitions, and a good summary, but I'd argue that we too often dismiss the enthusiasm of young people by suggesting that they don't have enough life experience, when we could be striving to achieve the ideal world that many of them imagine. We should all have that enthusiasm for fixing the problems we've created.
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Actually, I agree with your argument. Age should not limit nor guarantee the impact people make in this world.
The challenge is working collectively, but it is important. It is clear that there are generational trends that impact how we view the world and work within it. And even though most of us operate in those trends, there are outliers that break the mold. For me, Steem is an example of how people can come together and support one another despite our differences. And in the end, it is our differences that make us better rounded to overcome past problems and face new obstacles.
Thanks for your comment. Much appreciated.
King, subjects, revolution!
Government, citizens, revolution.
History teaches us that the perfect world order can never be established as long as greed, pride and self importance are holding the reins.
Kindness and love are this soldier's tools and peacemaking is the mandate.
Blessings!
We are not called to stay stagnate. We must keep pressing forward. We must strive for peace and kindness.
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