The United States of America’s system of government allows for periodic modifications. The process of amending the Constitution is well known and has been used 27 times, including for one amendment, the 21st, that repealed a previous amendment, the 18th. However, getting an amendment passed, first through Congress and then through the required three-quarters of the state legislatures, is a lengthy process and, unless it’s something really important – like the right to get blind drunk without running afoul of the local constabulary – you’re probably not going to be very successful. Did you know that over 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been introduced in the U.S. Congress since 1789? I didn’t.
Currently, the hot topic is gun control. I started my column here following the Newtown massacre (which took place on December 14, 2012). Little or nothing has changed since then. I am hopeful that the high-schoolers from Parkland, Florida, will have success in changing the conversation, but it’s always a good idea to have a backup plan. And I have one: Rebranding.
Rebranding is something I still don’t fully understand, but it appears to have begun with Coca-Cola or the Edsel. Actually, the Edsel wasn’t so much rebranded, as it was killed, buried, and never mentioned again by anyone at the Ford Motor Company, especially not at the annual Christmas party. Near as I can tell, rebranding involves getting the public to think about something old in a new way, like pork. Remember pork? Succulent, flavorful pork? Me neither. I’m familiar with “the other white meat.” The Other White Meat was a slogan developed in 1987 to boost the consumption of pork. Pork science did its part by breeding pigs that provided lean, flavorless chops that turn into dried-out planks of leather if you look at them wrong. But it worked. Pork consumption increased from 45 pounds per capita in 1987 to 49 pounds in 1999. There, I have provided proof (I found it on Wikipedia – that’s proof, isn’t it?) that rebranding can be effective, so let’s see if it might be employed to address some of the issues plaguing society today.
Entitlement is an issue we hear about frequently. Politicians are constantly talking about entitlement programs funded and unfunded. Conservatives attach the term or one of its cognates to anyone who receives or benefits from a government program, often attaching the invective, “gimme.” Progressives argue that those at the other end of the economic spectrum are guilty of a “gimme” attitude as well. “Gimme another tax-break,” “Gimme another subsidy,” “Gimme more immunity from lawsuits regarding my non-addictive pain-killers that are creating drug addicts.” And if you say, “No,” they turn into that most hostile form of entitlement fiends, the teenager. “I hate you! You never let me have any fun! I’m going to live with Vladimir Putin!” Come to think of it, teenagers are easier to deal with, because teenagers, until they’re 18, can’t vote and, for the most part, don’t have rights. They have privileges, which can be revoked; but they don’t have rights.
We have rights. I have rights. It’s my right. The first ten of those 27 amendments to our Constitution constitute our Bill of Rights. Some of the original framers of the Constitution opposed such a document, their reasoning being, What if you forget one? I’d like to think that theatre artists would have left it out, adopting a less-is-more position and trusting the audience to use their imagination. But a Bill of Rights is what we have, and the word “rights” seems to be a source of some of the trouble.
When I first began thinking about this piece, I thought of an old adage that seemed to fit the subject: “With great power comes great responsibility.” The quote has been attributed to people ranging from Voltaire and Theodore Roosevelt, to Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man. The most obvious problem with the quote is that it refers to power, not responsibility. But rights endow the holder of those rights with power, don’t they? We have to power to express our opinions on virtually any subject we consider ourselves an authority. Expertise is nice to have, but sadly not required. We have the power to implore any deity of our choosing to hurl down his, or her, wrath at any time. I did just such a thing on February 4 of this year, and Patriots fans will never forgive me. We have the power to be armed, heavily armed, and the liability of such power is made known to our nation all too frequently.
Our Founding Fathers probably saw no need to remind citizens that with rights come responsibilities. To people like Madison, Jay, and Hamilton, certain things were “self-evident.” However, we live in a time when it is likely that a majority of the population cannot place the above quote in the correct document. “Bieber’s acceptance speech” seems a possible answer, so we need to remind people, and maybe a rebranding exercise is in order.
It is the right of every citizen to express him or herself, but to pass along information that is questionable or just outright false, is irresponsible. The Second Amendment has enshrined the right to keep and bear arms, but to leave firearms unsecured, to sell them without regard as to who is buying them and for what purpose is irresponsible….The Bill of Rights and Responsibilities[in a suitably florid, 18th century font, of course]
I am also reminded of a saying I heard as a Marine: “Rank has its privileges.” Quite true, there is nothing worse than being the lone private first class (PFC) in a room full of sergeants when it’s time to do the dishes. However, if the PFC breaks Mom’s good china in the process, it is the ranking sergeant’s responsibility. Chain of command and obedience to orders are the structures that allow our military to function in times of emergency. Civilian society has no such guidelines, but as citizens of this nation we enjoy vast rights, powers, and privileges. Viewed another way, we are all four-star generals, granted enormous privileges, yet burdened with great responsibilities.
| Copyright © 2018 by James Knudsen |
Having spent a hell of a lot of my time in the Army on K.P. even there, there are good jobs and bad jobs. When I joined, my father who retired after 22 years, give me some very good advice. He said, "Make two good friends when you go in and at each place you are stationed do the same thing. Become friends with the cook and the medic, they have more power than the generals.
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