"One cannot be too extreme in dealing with social ills; the extreme thing is generally the true thing. " Emma Goldman

The simple fact that this piece criticized the drive towards a reawakening of the Noblesse Oblige would have made it a winner with me already. Add to that the literary style in which a line is drawn so subtly towards the importance of deep and strong analysis of social ills and situations rather then a petite bourgeoisie-like moment of sympathy for the victims of social and institutional crimes make this article a treasure. In the end i feel the article makes a simple and old point, thought without action and action without thought are both equally counter productive and equally egotistical. Back on the subject of noblesse obilge the authors Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer compare the classic bourgeoisie sympathy card of Noblesse Oblige to the conservative lobby towards charity based service learning compared to deep analytic social  alaysis of change oriented service learning. As both Joel and Joseph say, "The experience was structured to promote giving rather than to provide the kind of understanding needed for the development of caring relationships.As a result, the student's description of the event lacked the perspective and input of those she was helping...The distance between the one caring and the one cared for diminishes.Unfortunately, in many service activities, students view those they serve as clients rather than as a resource." To me all it takes is one more of their quotes speaks for itself, ""Democratic politics," Benjamin Barber writes, "has become something we watch rather than something we do." Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors. Acts of civic duty cannot replace government programs or forms of collective social action. Citizenship requires that individuals work to create, evaluate, criticize, and change public institutions and programs."