Are you a baddy or a good citizen?

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Several years ago, I profiled graduating classes from the 1960s. Students remembered the famous assemblies where former Superintendent D. A. Mallory gave a citizenship lesson. Each person recalled different circumstances he described, but the message was the same: “Be a good citizen.”
I remember our elementary school teachers trying to instill the same lesson: be a good citizen. That lesson continued at home, in church, and in our social circle, where adults talked to us directly about proper behavior, and we could be good citizens as children, too.
Webster’s Dictionary describes citizenship as membership in a community and the quality of an individual’s response to that membership. With that in mind, define bad citizens as those who harm the community: the robber, the sexual predator, the murderer. But what about the person who litters or speeds through a school zone? Do we sit on the fence and act as good or bad citizens depending on the circumstances?
Bad citizens disrespect authority and break laws. They steal, vandalize, use violence, and ignore traffic laws and town ordinances. In addition, they avoid civic duties like jury duty, evade the draft, or spread misinformation about voting or suppress other people’s rights.
Apathetic citizens can be considered bad citizens, too. They complain all the time and bash every activity in town on social media instead of getting active and helping create positive change in the community.
Good citizens shop local when possible and support the local economy in Dallas County and regional resources. They also follow laws and rules, help neighbors, recycle, conserve water, pick up litter, and be good neighbors, putting themselves on the good side.
Citizens should also vote in all elections, answer the call to serve on juries, attend local meetings, and, most of all, stay informed about local, national, and international news.
Good citizens also volunteer, donate to charity, and serve others. Online, they practice digital civility by sharing the truth, never spreading misinformation, and communicating respectfully.
Now, given these definitions, where do you fall? Are you a big baddy or a good citizen? Most people fall somewhere in between. The real goal is to get better each year so that, at the end of your life, you have no regrets.
Joy Beamer retired from the newspaper and remained writing a weekly column. She has a new pin for her jean jacket, “Be A Good Human.” To contact her, email joyretires@gmail.com.