In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "The Great Divorce" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/opinion/brooks-the-great-divorce.html?ref=opinion), David Brooks proposes this solution to remedy inequality in the US. Citing Charles Murray’s new book “Coming Apart,” Brooks asserts:
"Democrats claim America is threatened by the financial elite, who hog society’s resources. But that’s a distraction. The real social gap is between the top 20 percent and the lower 30 percent. The liberal members of the upper tribe latch onto this top 1 percent narrative because it excuses them from the central role they themselves are playing in driving inequality and unfairness."
How to fix this mess? Brooks writes:
"I doubt Murray would agree, but we need a National Service Program. We need a program that would force members of the upper tribe and the lower tribe to live together, if only for a few years. We need a program in which people from both tribes work together to spread out the values, practices and institutions that lead to achievement."
Well, that "National Service Program" already exists in Israel, and it's called the Israel Defense Forces ("IDF").
There is significant economic inequality in Israel that has regrettably been perpetuated by the government. Much of Israeli industry is owned by several dozen families, and even companies whose shares are traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange are often majority-owned or controlled by these families.
Notwithstanding this economic inequality in Israel, the IDF is indeed a place where, as Brooks puts it, "the tribes get jammed together." Upon induction, Israeli youngsters who grew up in wealthy neighborhoods often meet for the first time in their lives underprivileged youths and newcomers from Russia and Ethiopia, with whom they quickly learn to work and sweat together.
To smooth this interaction, children inducted into the IDF without adequate schooling are given remedial courses. Special efforts are made by the IDF to assist children from troubled families with their emotional problems.
Beyond compulsory service, the IDF continues to serve as a mixing pot for Israelis from all strata of society. For almost 20 years I served in a reserve artillery unit, which demanded both brains (to operate the computer assisted firing systems) and brawn (to lug the shells). For up to two months each year, I strained night and day and bonded with other reservists who, in civilian life, I would never encounter in my line of work.
The other advantage of a National Service Program, which goes unmentioned by Brooks, is that it would delay the entry of a significant number of young people into the workforce, thereby reducing unemployment.
Might this be practical in the US? Would privileged families in the US agree to send their children away for two or three years to engage in community work or forestry and not seek exemptions? You tell me.
No comments:
Post a Comment