The Careless Society: Community And Its Counterfeits
By:
John Mcknight
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Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Description:
Amid all the hand-wringing about the loss of community in America these days, here is a book that celebrates the ability of neighborhoods to heal themselves from within. John McKnight shows how competent communities have been invaded and colonized by professionalized services—often with devastating results. Overwhelmed by these social services, the spirit of community falters: families collapse, schools fail, violence spreads, and medical systems spiral out of control. Instead of more or better services, the basis for resolving many of America’s social problems is the community capacity of the local citizens.
Publisher: Basic Books
Customer Review: 2 out of 5
The Careless Characterization of Helping Professionals - McKnight's concerns about communities' dependency on professional assistance are legitimate, but disturbingly overstated in this book.
In the end I felt McKnight's trashing of the already well-trodden government provision of social services may not be altogether helpful to distressed communities. He sidesteps concerns of capital mobility and exploitation and the pernicious effects wrought by years of discrimination. Any debate over when and where and how social programs can be effective is cast aside as well, since in McKnight's picture, social programs and the professional service providers are, in fact, the vilains and culprits for most of what ails society.
One of the damaging fallacies that seems to be perpetuated in this book is that service professionals are not able to be both professional and caring - the two are deemed mutually incompatible. Mcknights views resonate with employers' caring rhetoric - conveniently invoked every time a healthcare worker tries to claim she does care about patients but is still entitled to a living wage or, perhaps, health insurance.
What is further implied is that communities will readily and ably take up the reign of providing for themselves and their members when denied more institutionalized professional services. It seems implied that communities had no problems before the social programs to solve them came into being. In this, I think I see McKnight is invokeing an idealized notion of an society at an earlier time; maybe his argument would have seemed more reasoble in a time when families were less geographically mobile and may have constituted an economic unit, when the elderly lived shorter lives and were less numerous themselves with more children to care for them, and the local economic activities were more functionally interdependent.
But McKnight's model for today's cure doesn't seem to fit today's conditions. On the other hand, McKnights solutions may be the only ones available in a society where budget cuts and elimination of social services seem the prevailing trend.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
A Strong Diagnosis of the Diagnostic Approach - McKnight, a scholar of social policy working at Northwestern University, throws harsh words at the medical, advocacy, and professional institutions. His observations are not only insightful, but they are well reasoned as well as articulated in a clear way. Although it may seem as though his writings underestimate the professional ethic of modern medicine, it is clear to an understanding reader that his purpose isn't to simply throw mud, but to inspire communities.
Using examples from his home town in Chicago, McKnight illustrates that when a community is faced with challenge, the best "solution" may not really be a "solution," but a habit. Rather than simply looking at communities as a group that needs to have their problems solved, it is more important to focus on the assets inherent in all of its individuals.
McKnight wishes to save communities from the obfuscating languages of medicine and professionalism. His book, "The Careless Society" is a triumph for the common good.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Must Reading. - I worked in the mental health-social service industry for many years. From the beginning it was impressed upon me that clients without economic value to the agency get booted out the door. And on numerous occasions I observed how families were broken apart because the government will spend money on professionals but wont spend money for a motel and a few meals or a car repair.
On the other-hand McKnight misses a salient point about people: They often get into trouble because no one is caring for them at home. And when you give cash to irresponsible people they dont suddenly become prudent and wise. They still neglect their kids, dont pay the rent, and get the electric cut-off.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Good idea, but too wordy - The recognition that the caring professions are destroying communities was eye-opening, but each chapter seemed almost the same as the chapter before. Read a couple, and you'll get the idea.
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Must read for any health professional - This book tests our conventional wisdom about "care." As a Registered Nurse with a Masters in Health Admin., I applaud McKnight's truthful look into the world of health care - or rather "disease care." Our lives have become over dependent on professionals, less dependent on ourseleves and our communities. We have forgotten that care begins with us - and we can never really pay anyone to care for us. Quick, insightful read - hope for more from McKnight on this critical topic.
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