In Building Civic Muscle, Aim for Clark Kent, Not Superman.

(Or: Why reclaiming our strength as citizens is not “countercultural.”)

As promised, I’ve been reflecting on two significant gatherings in September: the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) and ListenFirst’s Bridging Summit. I’m preparing takeaways as I did for my day on the river with RAFT for America, but in collecting my thoughts, one theme kept lapping me in the face like Krypto in the opening scene of Superman: the notion of being “countercultural.”  

We can likely agree that amid all that’s underway in United States, the change we need isn’t simply new policies, programs, or politicians (even as examples of all three no doubt come to mind). Today, I’m focused on our need for something deeper: a shift in how we see ourselves.

Namely, how we need to see ourselves as CITIZENS.

The word “citizen” is much more than a legal definition or immigration status. Cameron Hickey kicked off NCoC by sharing a definition of citizenship that underscores the reciprocal relationship between a person and their country.

Harry Boyte has written about how we’ve neglected that relationship with our country in favor of being “consumers,” including of government, as you’ll find in the National Civic Review and an opinion just this week in The New York Times.

These are helpful reminders that as citizens, we are not just consumers, not just spectators, and certainly not enemies on opposing teams.

Citizenship is an identity, a responsibility, and, done well, a source of power and agency. And yet, for many, it’s a muscle that’s atrophied for too long. Like any muscle, our civic engagement grows stronger with use, and weaker with disuse. And, like building physical muscle, building civic muscle takes some work.

As I’ll share when I get back to my list of takeaways, this work can be unglamorous, slow, messy, awkward, and invisible. The stuff of navigating pre-conversations to bigger conversations, calling and texting to organize scouting groups or potlucks, and coordinating all the moving parts needed to strengthen our communities often goes unnoticed. (Except for when it doesn’t… more on that next time, too.)

In short, this work isn’t flashy.

But the good news is it doesn’t require superhuman strength.

IKEA and Identity

To be a citizen is to be a contributor and co-creator in the ongoing work of a healthy society. It’s a role that comes with responsibility, yes, but also with dignity.

As Jillian Youngblood reminded us at NCOC, the “IKEA effect” doesn’t only apply to furniture; we tend to value things more when we’ve invested our time and effort into them, including our neighborhoods, communities, and country. When people feel like they’ve had a hand in shaping something, whether a group project or local solution, their connection to it deepens.

This is the kind of mindset we in the movement for civic engagement need to cultivate. Our work is more than messaging and outreach; this is about shifting how people see themselves.

But here’s where we can hit disagreement:

Some have called this work “countercultural,” often with admiration and, as I understand it, a desire to make this work seem more noble and edgy. But that framing, however well-intentioned, can unintentionally damage the very movement we’re trying to grow.

Words Matter

(+ Full Credit to Ade for the Right One)

A counterculture is defined by its diametric opposition to mainstream values, more specifically by being incompatible with the dominant norms. That’s not what this is. We're not aiming to overthrow society or reject the average American. We're here to energize the exhausted majority, i.e., the people who are deeply worried about where we’re headed but unsure where to plug in.

Credit to More In Common. See "America's Hidden Tribes" report.

Framing the movement for civic engagement as “countercultural” raises unnecessary barriers. As a school teacher at the ListenFirst gathering astutely asked, do we really want our public school teachers, or local government employees, or community organizers to see themselves as opposed to the people they serve? That would be inaccurate and alienating, not to mention unhelpful.

Sure, James Dean made being a “rebel without a cause” seem cool in the last century. But in this century, we DO have a cause and our work isn’t about rebellion - it’s about restoration. We need to restore trust, connection, shared purpose, and our identity as citizens.

So, if not “counterculture,” what are we?

As Ade Salami from Democracy 2076 explained, the movement to energize civic engagement is a subculture right now. That’s not because our work is marginal, but because so many people have retreated into fear, distrust, or apathy. That not because our values are fringe, but because our story hasn’t spread widely enough… yet.

Sure, America loves an underdog, so I understand the temptation to frame this movement as an underdog story. And if you want to insist that this is a matter of David & Goliath, I won’t stop you. Just know you need to hear Malcolm Gladwell share the truth behind that tale so we can talk about using our underappreciated and underestimated skillsets wisely:

What Building Civic Muscle Actually Looks Like

Which brings me to the title of this piece. Let’s be clear: building civic muscle won’t always be graceful. It’s the kind of strength that looks awfully ordinary from the outside, like listening instead of reacting, volunteering time in your community, having hard conversations across differences with both curiosity and humility:

Much like showing up to an actual gym, building civic muscle is the strength to keep showing up even when the payoff isn’t immediate. And much like trying a new gym class, it can be awkward! People will make mistakes.

What’s more, there’s no one exercise that can fix everything. But that’s why this work is so important. Just like we make decisions every day for our own health – water, diet, movement, vitamins – our civic health requires ongoing care.

Put another way, our country isn’t a finished product. It’s something we shape - and reshape - together.

Which is to say: don’t aim for (or expect) the superhuman strength of Superman when it comes to building civic muscle. We don’t need perfection; we need participation. We need more Clark Kents: flawed, flustered, a bit awkward, yet fully capable of helping pull our civic fabric back together. No one person will fly in to save the day. But all of us showing up even as we’re flawed, flustered, and feeling more than a bit awkward? Well, that’s real power.

If you’re already doing this work, thank you. If you’re looking for where to start, welcome. As these examples we've gathered as part of Braver Angels' new Citizen-Led Solutions work attest, you don’t need a cape. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to care and to keep showing up.