Democracy Final Papers

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Recommended: The role of media in democracy

Alexa Cano
PSC 101
Robert O’Meara
Mar. 14, 2014
Democracy Final Paper
Democracy is a form of government that most want but is it the right decision? Said to be “ruled by the people” and that it allows representation and inclusiveness of as many people and views as possible (Shah, 2012) but are we living in a society where the majority aren’t having their voices heard and are instead being over ruled by the wealthy? Democracies may seem like the best option to have that includes all its people, but it’s not perfect either wither with all it’s flaws and deficiencies including political and economic inequalities, voter suppression laws, the impact money has played in politics, and even the political culture occurring within our own government. Is it still the greatest choice to run a government or are there more suitable alternatives?
What is democracy and why has it become America’s best form of government? According to Robert A. Dahl, author of On Democracy, a democracy provides opportunities for effective participation, equality in voting, gaining enlightened understanding, exercising final control over the agenda, and inclusion of all adults (pg. 37). Democracy does not mean human rights, does not mean lack of censorship, does not mean elections of any kind, but it does mean power (kratos) of the people (demos) (Castoriadis, 2002). It is made up of a group of members who share similar goals despite their different point of views on certain issues and who are to represent the public and their beliefs. Every adult citizen of our country is entitled to all the equal rights and privileges as everyone else and without these opportunities voters and members will not be politically equal. Like Dahl stated in chapter 5 of his book, “demo...

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... it unclear whether the costs of democracy will be fully taken into consideration when decisions are shifted to international level and to strengthen accountability and cultural diversity will also continue to rise as more immigrants continue to move to America. Lastly, when it comes to enlightened understanding, citizens receive formal education to become familiar with how the government works but lately the amount of level that citizens need in order to be informed has been reduced to a more easily attainable level and voters will now have less need to understand every political issue (pg. 185). Dahl concludes that maybe if democratic countries are able to overcome these challenges then they can truly transform into an advanced democracy but in order for a democracy to survive, citizens also need to be in favor of democracy’s practices, values, ideas, and beliefs.

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