Honest Social Conflict or Dishonest Harmony? The Time for a Decision
PA Times
In the words of Frederick Douglass, “the life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.” In the realm of public policy and administration, we, the gatekeepers of America’s most valuable asset, our citizenry, have noticed that the winds of change have begun to blow and along with these changes we have seen misleading falsehoods, hyperboles and dog whistles to pit the most vulnerable against each other. We, public administrators, share in the same mission as our local police, fire departments and many other service occupations. Instead of dousing house fire, we are called for the noble and glorious purpose of putting out the flames of ignorance before they burn the very foundations of our communities and bring the social cohesion to naught. Instead of proactively seeking to deter crime and respond to human tragedy, we are called for the honorable and outstanding purpose of deterring fear, angst and anxiety; responding to human misfortune and aiding before tragic actions are taken and tragedy incurred. What of honest social conflict? What are the benefits, the dangers?
