While I would not have chosen Rick Warren as my beacon of hope, the article in the url below by David Brooks makes a compelling argument that the inauguration of Barack Obama represents a shift to a new social environment. Obama is not the beginning of the shift, Brooks argues; instead, he is the latest development in a longer process that has been occurring since the 1960s:
“… societies do mend themselves, slowly and organically. In 2002, Rick Warren wrote a phenomenally popular book called ''The Purpose Driven Life.'' The first sentence was, ''It's not about you.'' That was a sign that the age of expressive individualism was coming to an end. New community patterns and social norms were coalescing.”
In Brooks’ view, Obama both personifies this change process and also carries the potential to take it to the next level—translating the rhetoric and ideas into meaningful action:
“… folks in the Obama camp hope to create a Grand Bargain. That would mean building on a culture of cohesion and tackling the issues that require joint sacrifice -- like reducing deficits, fixing Medicare and Social Security and reforming health care. These problems were insoluble during the era of division and distrust.”
If true, it is likely that this new environment will be more conducive to an argument in favor of CSR, whether moral, rational, or economic (Chapter 1, Towards A Responsible Society, pp. 15-19).
Take care
Dave
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility
© Sage Publications, 2006
The Politics Of Cohesion
By DAVID BROOKS
806 words
20 January 2009
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
33
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/opinion/20brooks.html
