Citizenship, What is?
29/09/2005A normal person, in today's world, cannot live in isolation, distanced from everything and everyone. The human being is, by essence, someone destined to live in society, interacting with the community where he habitually resides. That way, it is not lawful for anyone to do what he pleases and at the time he sees fit, especially if your actions affect the rights of other people or the community itself. Like this, everyone has to observe the fulfillment of their duties and make respect, equally, your rights.
Let us observe, So, that in the same way that we must pay attention to the rules that regulate social life, whether in the home environment, in educational establishment, in shops, in public offices, it is also essential that we are fully aware of our rights and determined to demand that they are respected. While duties are imposed so that social interaction is harmonious and healthy, rights constitute the collection of principles that guarantee each citizen to enjoy a dignified existence, decent and full of freedom. They are fundamental rights inherent to citizenship, among others: the right to life, the security, to work, the Liberty, free movement, to equality, the education, the health, to housing, free expression, the religion, non-discrimination, the property, to intimacy. These rights are guaranteed, in our country, in the Federal Constitution, in state constitutions and complementary laws.
Citizenship is, também….
In summary, being a citizen matters in having rights and duties, demanding those and fulfilling these. In the moment that, within a human society, people acquire this awareness of citizenship, they start to be the main actors in the process of winning their rights, acting, in & conseq Nuuml; & ecirc; INSTANCE, as vectors that determine the elimination of everything that can contribute to the continuity of any structure of social exclusion.
But, for that to happen, it becomes essential that each of us is fully willing to participate in community life, acting not only for their own benefit, but seeking to act aiming at the well-being of all.
For RODRIGO CINTRA, Professor of Ethics in International Relations at UNIBERO – Center Universit & aacute; rio Ibero-American, "cidadania, even though it is a very vague concept and without substance, became one of the most common fighting flags of today. Its internal power of legitimation is so great that its simple invocation seems to try to justify a whole set of objectives and utopias. The biggest confusion involving the use of the complex concept of citizenship is that between citizenship and human dignity. Although both ideas have a strong correlation with each other, human dignity is linked to the individual whereas citizenship as a whole. If in a, when we focus on the individual, we must focus primarily on a state / society relationship for the individual; in the other, the direction is reversed: we think how it can be part and act on those. Exists, também, the tendency to include in the idea of citizenship a set of actions aimed directly at improving the living conditions of the individual and his environment. This trend presents some risks by placing the entire state apparatus that is directly linked to the exercise of citizenship at the service of practices and objectives that end up promoting inequalities in the social body. Before being the result of the three generations of rights, citizenship is the result of the Arendtian thesis of the right to have rights. When we think about consolidating and exercising citizenship, we must focus on the individual's belonging to the city (the Greek polis). This belonging, anyway, should not be interpreted as possession, but as the possibility of being part of. When we adopt this second view, we can see that citizenship implies recognizing itself as a member of a group and, at the same time, be recognized as a member. It is precisely a quick and careless reading of this second condition that leads to the confusion between citizenship and human dignity. (…) An individual, recognizing himself as a member of his country and being recognized by him with the same status, he is automatically raised to the status of citizen because he now has a series of channels for participation at his disposal, control and influence of political and social institutions focused on the whole. These channels range from the right to vote to the right to be voted; freedom of expression to the possibility of taking political office. On the other hand, this alone is not enough. For the individual to be in fact a citizen, he needs to consider himself a member of the country. More than a mere psychological issue, this involves an intricate political-social complex. Garantir a "igualdade perante a lei" it is not a sufficient condition when there is political inequality (without going into the problems that acute economic-financial inequality brings to Brazil). Unable to perceive himself as a member of his country, the individual develops his daily activities outside the channels and places of participation in public life, thus preventing any action that may come to influence society as a whole. Thereby, is forced to stay in a reactive position, when not passive. Thus, improvements in their living conditions are seen more as benefits, instead of being the result of your public participation. (…) Citizenship for me today comes down to one word, which is participation. Participation as an individual or as an organized group in the most varied areas of activity in society, in the public sphere. So citizenship for me is synonymous with participation, that is, of non-omission, indifference etc., in relation to the exercise of power."
Like this, it is necessary to bear in mind that achievements of citizenship, like human rights, are fruit of arduous, lasting and, sometimes, bloody fights that, historically, men fought to be recognized. Imagine-se que alguns "detalhes" that can go unnoticed in our daily lives (the right to have an idea and be able to freely express it; be able to vote for whoever you want, without duress; the right not to suffer racial or religious discrimination, for example), constitute rights only recently guaranteed. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights dates from 1948, but it is the French Revolution, in the 18th century the great reference in this historic process. No brazil, up until 1888, slavery was practiced (although, today, the existence of slave labor is still registered, in many regions of the country) e, at that time, the vote was the privilege of some. The rights of women and workers are, equally, recent achievements, if we consider the age of the world.
It was men and women, coated with the ideals of citizenship, who engaged in these demands, united with other people who fought for the same principles. It is essential that we all have this same disposition.
Seeking to exemplify a current focus of the struggle for social inclusion – which means respect for human rights – people with physical disabilities or special needs, consider the need that exists that each Brazilian municipality must have its Organic Law perfectly adapted to the constitutional norms, so that we can demand the implementation of special education; a Code of Works that obliges public places (including commercial establishments, public offices, leisure centers) to be equipped with access ramps, adapted bathrooms, etc. Only with the existence of these devices will the rights of the disabled be effective. Citizens living in municipalities where such legal mechanisms do not exist must pressure their councilors and mayors to promote their immediate implementation.
People with physical disabilities or special needs who feel injured in their rights should contact the State Public Ministry or the Public Defender's Office. All over the city where there is a Forum, in addition to the Judge there is the Public Prosecutor who is charged with the free defense of the collective interests of the community. Discrimination occurring, Justice must be brought to justice with the process being initiated with the testimony of witnesses or the display of documents or other evidential instruments.
Another example is the existence of the various bodies that act in consumer protection, including in the Public Ministry. It is essential that citizens who feel injured in their commercial relations in the purchase of services or consumer goods, call on authorities to defend their rights. Who buys damaged or defective merchandise and does not promote the competent claim, will be, in addition to revealing low self-esteem, contributing to the existence of bad traders.
But it's just as important….
Fighting for one's own rights and that of others is inherent to the exercise of citizenship. Yet, we must not forget that in order to be a good citizen, one cannot neglect the fulfillment of our duties, including some essential rules that reveal, beyond citizenship, that we have good education:
– Do not throw garbage on the streets, neither on beaches or rivers; deposit it in the appropriate places and, when possible, selectively (separating plastics, glasses, years, madeira, paper, etc.).
– do not waste water; remember that drinking water is a good that can end;
– do not graze walls or walls, keep our city always beautiful, for us and for those who visit us;
– help those who need more attention: an elderly or visually impaired person crossing a street; give your place to old people and pregnant women on buses and in crowded places;
– does not harm the environment; help preserve it;
– treat all people with respect and education, especially the ones that you think are different;
– use your stereo, at home or in the car, moderately, respecting the silence that others desire.
It is these small / large actions that make us Citizens , who identify us as educated people, that make us citizenship practitioners . But they are the ones that transform us into true builders of a better life for everyone.