"And they understand that to be an effective member of a democracy, you have to accept responsibility"
About this Quote
Democracy, in Greenberg's telling, isn't a vibe or a spectator sport; it's a job description. The line quietly rejects the comforting fantasy that civic life runs on opinions alone. "Effective member" implies a skillset, not a birthright: participation that produces outcomes rather than noise. And "accept responsibility" lands as the hinge. It's not "be given responsibility" or "should feel responsible" but a voluntary, slightly uncomfortable act of ownership.
As an educator, Greenberg is also smuggling in a theory of learning. Students don't become citizens by memorizing founding documents; they become citizens by practicing consequences. The subtext is that democracy fails when people outsource adulthood - to leaders, institutions, experts, or the algorithmic feed - then treat dissatisfaction as engagement. Responsibility here means showing up when it's boring, reading past the headline, listening when it's inconvenient, and recognizing that rights without upkeep degrade into entitlement.
The phrasing is deliberately plain, almost parental, which is part of its force. It's a rebuke that doesn't sound like one. Greenberg avoids moral fireworks and instead frames citizenship as maintenance: you don't "believe in democracy" the way you believe in a slogan; you sustain it the way you sustain a community. In a moment when politics is marketed as identity and catharsis, the quote insists on a tougher metric: effectiveness. If you're not carrying some share of the burden, you're not just disengaged - you're letting someone else define the terms of your freedom.
As an educator, Greenberg is also smuggling in a theory of learning. Students don't become citizens by memorizing founding documents; they become citizens by practicing consequences. The subtext is that democracy fails when people outsource adulthood - to leaders, institutions, experts, or the algorithmic feed - then treat dissatisfaction as engagement. Responsibility here means showing up when it's boring, reading past the headline, listening when it's inconvenient, and recognizing that rights without upkeep degrade into entitlement.
The phrasing is deliberately plain, almost parental, which is part of its force. It's a rebuke that doesn't sound like one. Greenberg avoids moral fireworks and instead frames citizenship as maintenance: you don't "believe in democracy" the way you believe in a slogan; you sustain it the way you sustain a community. In a moment when politics is marketed as identity and catharsis, the quote insists on a tougher metric: effectiveness. If you're not carrying some share of the burden, you're not just disengaged - you're letting someone else define the terms of your freedom.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
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