Is The Responsibility Ethic Anti-Political?
The critics argue that, if I believe I’m responsible for my circumstances, I am unlikely to participate in politics — to vote, protest, debate issues with others, and so on. In other words, if I think I hold the power to change my life situation, I won’t see any need to use the political process to improve my circumstances. Say, for instance, that I run a business, and a tax imposed by the city is hurting my bottom line. If I believe I have full control over my destiny, I won’t see any reason to lobby the city government to reduce the tax. After all, because I have the power to fix the situation, I can solve the problem myself — by, say, moving elsewhere, or just increasing my revenues to make up for the loss. To the critics, because it convinces people there’s no need to participate in politics, the responsibility ethic is anti-democratic, in that it discourages an informed, politically active public. What’s more, the critics argue, we do need the political process to change aspects
