It’s hard to disagree with Dennis Prager’s five points in his recent Viewpoint piece, “Thing most Americans can do to make America better”. (Marietta Times, July 19) As long as they are qualified with the word “most”, I can support Prager’s suggestions: “1. Developing one’s moral character, 2. Getting married and making a good family, 3. Taking care of one’s family, 4. Going to church (or synagogue), and 5. Joining a service organization to serve the poor.” It has to include the word “most”; clearly not all people should get married, organized religion doesn’t work for everyone, and there are many other ways to serve the poor than through service clubs.

I can support these objectives; I just can’t support the implication that they are enough. Prager seems to believe that if we are each “good people” in our individualist bubbles, that is enough to make a good and just nation. He even says, “People don’t understand that the best thing they can do for this society is to lead an individually good life…” That is a demonstrably false and dangerous idea.

I agree with his five points. I suspect that most members of the Ku Klux Klan and probably most members of white supremacy groups would also agree with his five points. And the occasional business owner who rides roughshod over his employees with abhorrent working conditions but is proud of his position in his service club would also agree. And certainly many state legislators who don’t mind making life difficult for other people by passing restrictive legislation would be proud to affirm Prager’s five points.

Doing “goodness, justice and mercy” (to use a Biblical principle) or “making America better” (to use Prager’s phrase) is not an either/or proposition– either individual character and responsibility OR working to change unjust laws, institutions and social norms. It requires BOTH. As much as Prager tries to paint “activism” in a negative light, it was “activism” that led the colonists to rebel against British tyranny, it was “activism” that led to the emancipation of the slaves, it was “activism” that gave women the right to vote and established child labor laws, and the list goes on to the many issues that we are still trying to resolve today.

Our nation can become better, with people of high moral character who are ALSO actively challenging unjust laws, institutions and social norms.

Karl Kumpf

Marietta