ABSTRACT
The last years of this decade are witnessing the emergence of a new group of young fogies, people under forty who have swallowed the liberal ideology of the 1930s as completely as their opposite numbers have the conservative ideology of the 1890s. The argument of the author's paper is simple: The only way in which Afro-Americans or any Americans can truly participate in American life is through functioning membership in meaningful local political communities. It simply presents a universal truth that even the liberal ideologists cannot repeal; that basic political loyalties must commence with meaningful ties to one's neighbors and one's place of residence. In a democracy, this universal truth has a corollary; responsible political life must commence with real possibilities for participation in meaningful political decision-making, something that can only come for the overwhelming majority of the citizenry in the local community.
