The word "Citizen"
Training
Thank you for raising this, Ron. It is a dilemma for me. I don't like the negative aspects of using the word citizen but something is lost in using the terms residents, neighbor, community members, etc. In a democracy, citizen conveys a sense of rights and responsibilities that comes with being a member of society. Citizens have an expectation to contribute to the greater good. I know this is largely lost in the current politicization of the term.
In community organizing, some groups refer to everyday people as leaders, which is confusing as it is mean to meant everyone. Activist is another term, one that promotes the notions of contributing, but does not convey that two-way relationship of giving and receiving that citizen does.