Jeremy B. Landa
A universe of obligation is built upon the idea that people must reflect and question their responsibilities to those around them, both near and far, and prioritize their commitment to working with those people or groups.
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Common examples of questions that help to create a universe of obligation are:
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If you see a person drowning in front of you, do you help the individual?
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If you hear screams for help from a person drowning, but cannot see them, do you help the individual?
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If you know that an area of the ocean is dangerous to swim in, but will not be there at all hours of the day, do you help individual awareness of the dangers?
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This is an idea that many civics teachers do not teach, but it is important when considering the creation of a universe of obligation for voters in the United States.
The political sphere, which has seen a drastic decrease in voter turnout in presidential elections since the late 1800s, is a place where many critics have associated consumerism with voter apathy. The goal of this unit is to establish a clear connection between the existence of consumer political rights and the obligation to vote.
In this respect, the ideal consumer citizen is someone who realizes the moral implications of their actions within a universe of obligation, despite the consumer culture, and makes the most ethical decision to help create more opportunity for all people, not just for themselves. Through the study of history, it is clear that as people have begun to understand and embrace these connections between individuals, rights, and obligations, their individual political rights have grown. Part of the reason for this success is because political movements are most successful as they are organized from the grass roots. Hence, the 1960s is an excellent example of how consumerism led a group of people from desiring the right to have material products, to claiming the access to private-owned spaces or services that serve the public, and, finally, to gaining access to consumer choice and political rights. The consumer citizen who resolves these philosophical differences gains the most out of their political consumer rights as well as presents the best opportunities to lead movements to change the narrow scope of consumers as only voters.
