The importance of Community involvement cannot be overstated.
by Jason Lawrence
It has been noted by such pre-eminent scholars as Dr. Philippe Rushton that as diversity increases, civic and community engagement decreases. Even among whites there is reduced trust and socialization. It makes sense really, because it’s hard to get involved when you have the feeling that things are not looking good for the future. Not only that, but in America, many of us seem to have the "go it alone" mentality. You know, the old "rugged individualism".
For many people, there is a knee jerk reaction of "I’d rather just stay home than go out". Many of us know that we should be getting out more, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Pile on top of that hostile media influence that promotes unrealistic and damaging social expectations, and you end up with a lot of European Americans that could be building meaningful relationships and long lasting friendships, sitting around by themselves watching the tube instead.
We, as European American activists, need to make a deliberate effort to buck this trend.
It is true that we all have personal commitments that demand a large portion of our time. It is also true that no one is going to all of a sudden become a social butterfly when that is not in their nature. What we can and must do is understand that if we do not at least make the commitment within ourselves to reengage as an active member of a community, no amount of activism can stave off our projected demographic disaster.
At European Americans United, it is our aim not only to urge you in this direction, but also to provide the necessary structure. With our system of local chapters we already have the framework in place. All that is needed now is your commitment to get involved. If there is not a chapter in your area, create one!
What is certain is that the choices that you make will have a definite impact on the future of our people. Please keep that in mind for today, for next week, and for the rest of your life.