~The Problem with American Democracy is not too Little Democracy, but too much. Discuss ~
American democracy is "power of, by, and for the people." It is, as Slavoj Zizek so eloquently puts, "the will and interests of the majority that determine state decisions" (Zizek, 2003). The problem with American democracy is not that there is too little democracy, but that there is too much. Alexander Hamilton tried to make sure there wasn't too much when he advocated for the Electoral College. All through history, even before America, political minds have warned against too much democracy. Tyranny by majority, the uninformed, the undecided; they all contribute to too much democracy.
One of the greatest problems America faces is the uninformed voter. Jonah Goldberg wrote an article in which he said, "The ignorance of the typical American when it comes to politics is often staggering." He does not mince his words in saying that he believes that normal people of society are not fit in knowledge to the extent of making a just decision of who should act as President. He is not the first to believe this however. The notion that society must be protected from itself when it comes to electing officials goes back to Ancient Greece.
Plato's Republic is widely regarded as a masterpiece of social and political philosophies. He believed that all men were not created equal, but not in the physical sense that history has shown. He meant intellectually. When referring to democracy, he looks upon it as something that would result in tyranny and chaos. "Tyranny by the poor," is why he believed that an aristocracy would be a better ruling tool than a democracy (Plato, B.C.). He criticized democracy as a way for which anarchy to breed and that political equality, as it partially exists now, inevitably leads to democracy. Although I object to the idea that I am not equal to some others, Plato is right in saying that the average citizen should not be trusted with the decision of electing officials in the case that they are not knowledgeable.
An article in The New Yorker title The Unpolitical Animal, written by Louis Menand, found a study done by Philip Converse that showed that seventy percent of Americans cannot name their senators or their congressmen and twenty-five percent don't know who their governor is (Goldberg, 2003).
XINYUN ZHANG POL101 PAPER #2 One of the ratification of the United States Constitution, 15th Amendment grants American citizens the right to vote without regarding to race; and no governmental institution such federal and state government to deny this right. Therefore, the general American citizens have the right to participate in politics such as vote for their senators or presidents in this country. However, In “The Unpolitical Animal,” Louis Menand reveals that “In election years from 1952 to 2000, when people were asked whether they cared who won the Presidential election, between twenty-two and forty-four per cent answered “don’t care” or “don’t know”.” Since candidates were directly and indirectly elected by citizens, critics of American electoral system argue that the majority of American citizens do not have proper
Plato firmly believed that only a select few should rule. This idea stems from his view that people are unequal in essence, as some truly enlightened individuals are able to understand justice and good whereas others could only see the suggestion of the phenomenas. He asserted that many people were
However, seldom is this the case with American politics. There are far fewer politicians then there are low class workers or unemployed, and yet these politicians decide upon most all of the important decisions the country is faced with. The only time the rest of the people are involved is when these politicians spew out money and promises in an attempt to gain the p...
The scenes in creation being intellectual, the put together of constitutional democracy was very empirical. The Constitutional Convention was convened to formulate the constitution. What had to be clear was that the only way to assure a functioning constitutional democracy was the public's discussion. In philadelphia the delegates compromised. The outcome was to integrate states with large populations and states with small populations with a bicameral legislative branch. Also compromises that guaranteed say from both slave owning states and non-slave states could be listened to. The Bill of Rights
When referring to classical antiquity period, most think of Greece and Rome dominating and flourishing in the areas of philosophy, sciences, mathematics and literature. One other admirable achievement, the establishment of early forms of democracy, came from this time period and should not be overlooked as it is the historical basis of our government today. The Founding Fathers of the United States were influenced by Greek and Roman concepts in law, government structure, and even philosophy. Concepts described in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States can be traced back historically to the classical antiquity period, and show that the United States government and law were modeled after those of Greece and Rome.
Adding this all up, I have concluded that the United States democracy is unhealthy, yet I still believe there is hope. If I had to give the current condition of democracy a letter grade, I would give it a C. I got this grade because even though the United States maintains many civil right and liberties, a strong number of interest groups, and diverse political parties, it just isn’t enough to carry the poor conditions of ideologies, voter turnout, education, economics, and media. Democracy is surly not thriving in America, but at this point, there is still hope.
Many Americans hold different opinions or theories on how our government works. Some even take to writing what they believe in the hopes of finding someone with a similar view. There are three well-known theories of American Democracy, the elite theory, the pluralist theory, and the hyperpluralist theory. Each of these approaches all hold the relatively same belief, that Americans need someone powerful to govern and take control. Of the three theories, the elite theory best explains the American political process.
middle of paper ... ... religions of the citizens, the immigrant melting-pot nature of the country, and the market-driven economy in which an equality of opportunity and old fashioned American elbow grease is all one needs to succeed. America certainly is not a perfect democracy, in any sense of the word. However, the particular brand of democracy practiced in America has shown itself over a course of more than two hundred years to be both resilient and flexible. American democracy may not be perfect, but democratic it surely is.
"United States can be seen as the first liberal democracy. The United States Constitution, adopted in 1788, provided for an elected government and protected civil rights and liberties. On the American frontier, democracy became a way of life, with widespread social, economic and political equality. The system gradually evolved, from Jeffersonian Democracy or the First Party System to Jacksonian Democracy or the Second Party System and later to the Third Party System. In Reconstruction after the Civil War (late 1860s) the newly freed slaves became citizens, and they were given the vote as well." (Web, 1)
I am responding to Micheal Schudson’s essay titled “America’s Ignorant Voter”. He makes several arguments against whether America having relatively ignorant voters poses a problem to our society, and whether it’s becoming worse over the years. One of the arguments he poses as to why Americans seem so clueless about political matters is due to the complexities of our nation’s political institutions.
In past and even in recent history, world politics has taken many faces ranging from the absolute monarchies of PhillipII to the dictatorships of Sadam Hussein. Some political institutions have even stood out and have taken center stage in political theses. Two successful institutions that follow this criteria include democracy, backed by de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America and communism, as written in Marx’s Communist Manifesto. While both these aspects of politics have enjoyed ample success, there is no possible way both these worlds can coexist and function because democracy has exceptionally achieved far more prestige and withstood the ravage of time in terms of American democracy. Communism could have been the answer to governing a nation but due to the vice of power-hungry leaders, democracy surpasses this institution with evidence from history, revealing why these political powers machines cannot remain mutually exclusive.
"Democracy" means, to many Americans, a system in which they choose their own leaders, voice their opinions to representatives in government, and human rights and freedoms are respected by the state. But in practice, "democracy," when applied abroad by the United States, means subjugating native peoples to the will of American corporations, and in the process, the destruction...
Democracy is a topic extensively studied by political philosophers all around the world. Plato was one of these philosophers. Plato believed that “democracy […] is a charming form of government, full of verity and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike”. An analysis of ancient Athenian democracy and the Republic provides great understanding of the statement within its context. The statement itself is valid, but Plato does not appear to mean what he said.
He writes, for example, that within the framework of a democratic society, young people begin to imitate adults and compete with them in reasoning and in affairs that results in contention between generations. “The forgiving spirit of democracy” is the spirit of slavery since ordinary people become slaves of the part of the population that begins to govern the country by becoming a major political force. Supporters of democracy think that they have a true idea of the correct version of the political regime, but according to Plato, they are far from the truth, since they have no idea of the correct structure of the state. I can say that I agree with Plato 's ideas on democracy and its supporters since in fact, we can observe the phenomenon of injustice and tyranny in many democratic countries. Under the guise of democratic ideals, modern society shows the commitment of the various anti-moral and anti-social phenomena that cannot be regarded as positive. People have become slaves of money and power, and in a society that calls itself ‘democratic’ the power belongs to separate individuals while other people are their slaves although they do not understand this
He thought that the election of the people was unfair justice. Plato had some of the same beliefs. He believed that government should only have rulers who had the intelligence and education appropriate for the matter. His thoughts were that a job should be done only by those who are best suited for it. To him, aristocracy was a perfect form of government.