Disillusionment With the American Political System

3917 Words8 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The internet's impact on society

The last forty years in America have seen tremendous changes technologically and culturally. Life has become increasingly easier as machines designed to improve living standards proliferated. Communications and travel capabilities have advanced dramatically, with long distance phone calls a thing of the past. Computers and smart phones have made an infinite amount of information readily available to students who can now conduct their research from anywhere. Socially the changes have been just as tremendous, though perhaps not always for the better. Divorce rates have skyrocketed. Children frequently massacre one another on school grounds. The income inequality gap has steadily risen. Overall, Americans are feeling less connected to one another than ever before. One casualty of this national disillusionment is the American political system. The average citizen no longer trusts the government to do what is in the nation’s best interest. A rapidly growing number of Americans do not bother to vote. Many feel that their participation in the system will have little or no effect in the long run. Some believe that the answer to such widespread political apathy is the internet. All major campaigns now have websites capable of accepting online donations and disseminating a candidate’s platform to millions at a time. Arizona led the way in integrating online voting and many other states are getting set to follow in its footsteps. Perhaps such online accessibility will revive public participation in the political process. Another area of American society hoping for an overhaul from the internet revolution is social connectedness. As people pull away from their television sets and towards computer screens, which are capable of f... ... middle of paper ... ... Mumford, Lewis. Technics and Human Development: The Myth of the Machine, Volume One. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: New York. 1967. “New Life in the Old Club” from The Economist, February 26th-March 3rd 2000. Putnam, Robert, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital” from Journal of Democracy. January 1995. Putnam, Robert. “The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life” from American Prospect 1993. Rosenblatt Alan J. 1999. "Lurking About in Hyde Park with the Disembody Politic." Paper presented at the 1999 APSA meeting. Schwartz, Edward A. “Toqueville’s Democratic Prescription: ‘Self-Interest: Rightly Understood’” from Building a Community of Citizens: Civil Society in the 21st Century. Don E. Eberly, Ed. University Press Commonwealth Foundation: Landam, Md. 1994. Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Mentor: New York. 1984.

Show More
Related

  • Unit 2 Essay Assignment

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel "Lord of the Flies" and the short story "I Only Came to Use the Phone" share the use of setting to contribute to the dehumanization of the characters in each of the readings. This is done through the two parts of the island archetype. First, a mini society is established when a group of characters are isolated from the outside world. A system close to that of the government is usually what they end up with. Second, the isolated setting either leads to complete chaos because the characters go back to their natural instincts and ignore everything they previously knew about what was right and what was wrong. Also, the setting leads to corruption among the characters involved.

    Read More

  • Voting Participation in the United States

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.

    Read More

  • William Golding's Lord of the Flies

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    In viewing the aspects of the island society, the author William Golding's Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society. He chooses to set the children alone in an unsupervised world, leaving them to learn ' the ways of the world' in a natural setting first hand. Many different perspectives can also be considered. Golding's island of marooned youngsters becomes a microcosm. The island represents the individual human and the various characters represent the elements of the human psyche.

    Read More

  • Lord of the Flies: Is There Hope for Man?

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the main themes in William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies is that without civilization, there is no law and order. The expression of Golding's unorthodox and complex views are embodied in the many varied characters in the novel. One of Golding's unorthodox views is that only one aspect of the modern world keeps people from reverting back to savagery and that is society. Golding shows the extreme situations of what could possibly happen in a society composed of people taken from a structured society then put into a structureless society in the blink of an eye. First there is a need for order until the people on the island realize that there are no rules to dictate their lives and take Daveers into their own hands. Golding is also a master of contrasting characterization. This can be seen in the conflicts between the characters of Jack, the savage; Simon, the savior; and Piggy, the one with all the ideas.

    Read More

  • Thesis Essay

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    As time progresses in both Lord Of the Flies and “I Only Came To Use the Phone”, the characters show definite sings of savagery. The authors of these stories show the change from civilization and reduction to the characters’ basic, primitive nature. In the beginning of Lord Of the Flies, the young boys are deserted on an island due to their plane crashing. Once on the island, they find each other and begin to assemble. They come together as a big group and elect a leader. There are other boys in charge of certain tasks that need to be accomplished. A conch shell found on the beach is used as a way to call a meeting. This reaction to sudden change shows an instinct in humans that, when something goes wrong, people try to keep as normal of a schedule as possible. The boys use this make-shift kind of government because they realize that they need some type of structure in their lives.

    Read More

  • Democracy in America

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the course of history, mankind has been recorded to corrupt itself. Men have grown tired of simply surviving; they have had to take and conquer others. Absolute monarchies control wealth, land, and even lives of men. The conditions of the people were solely dependent on the conditions of the one who was in power in that particular place and time. History has proven that most men rule unwisely in their kingdoms. To avoid tyrannical rule, some make an attempt to set up a government in which the people ruled themselves. This form of government is called a democracy, or “rule of the people.” History has also revealed through the Greeks and the French Revolution, that a democracy that gives complete power to the people, “absolute democracy”, is nothing more than a short prelude to tyranny.

    Read More

  • Undermining Democracy: Socioeconomic and Racial Inequalities in America

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    The ideology behind American democracy can be defined by equal opportunity. More specifically it is ability for all citizens to have equal economic opportunity, such as education and also equal political opportunity, such as being able to vote and bail out of prison. The novels Our Kids and Just Mercy, by authors Robert Putnam and Brian Stevenson respectively, are both intellectual literacies following stories of inequalities in America. Focusing on two distinct types of inequality-socioeconomic and race- each book gives explicit insight to how it is affecting American democracy. Socioeconomic and racial inequalities are undermining the foundation of democracy. Citizens in poverty and racial minority groups are finding themselves to have unequal opportunities in education, incarceration, political efficacy.

    Read More

  • Science Helps, Anybody Out There? By Oliver Sacks

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

                Science and technology go hand in hand. Scientific discoveries result in technology advancements for the people. In today’s technological world, it has progressed to a whole new level. This type of modernization opened doors for new and improved computers, cell phones, medical treatment, and machinery. In a reference article, “Computers and the Internet in America: Modern World” by Christopher Cumo, he discusses how computers and the internet have impacted human life since the 20th century. Technology has always been a part of society and as

    Read More

  • Essay On Voting In America

    423 Words  | 1 Pages

    Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.

    Read More

  • Conformity

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tyler, R. T. (2002). Is the Internet Changing Social Life? Journal of Social Issues, 58 (1), 195-205.

    Read More

  • Voter Turnout?

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    Voter turnout has been declining in the United States throughout history through the potential voters’ personal choice not to vote and ineligibility. According to research a large percentage of individuals are not voting because political parties fail to appeal to the voters and this leads to the voting population losing interest in the campaign, while others postpone registering and by the time they realize their delay the election is upon them.

    Read More

  • Symbolal Allegory In Lord Of The Flies By William Golding

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    The symbolical allegory “Lord of the Flies” written by William Golding, symbolizes through different characters of how humankind are evil from the core. The story of a group of schoolboys trapped on a deserted island takes more of a symbolizing story than it might seem. Each detail takes a position in the story to show the core of humanity. A group of young boys together without adult supervision causes the boys to slowly reveal their savage core. Being a part of the English society has taught them to make rules and follow them, but slowly as they realize that there are no grownups are there to stop them, the revealing of their nature begins. William Golding states in his interview concerning the theme of the book, “The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.” (Golding 204). The human race has been evil ever since Adam and Eve sinned, but through the Bible, we try our best to cover the core of our hearts with rules and morality.

    Read More

  • Physiological Changes In The Elderly Research Paper

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Vitamin deficiencies especially vitamin B12, B6 and folate are associated with cognitive impairment, and linked to age-related hearing loss in older adults. If B12 levels are not adequate, high folate levels may be a concern.” As we age the amount of chemicals in the body, needed to absorb vitamin B12 decreases. To avoid deficiency, older adults are advised to eat foods in rich vitamin B12 regularly, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy foods. “Nutritional antioxidant supplements are generally believed to be beneficial in reducing free radical cellular and DNA damage.” A large epidemiological study found the concomitant use of vitamins C and E is associated with reduces incidents of Alzheimer disease. Eating foods with Vitamin E such as grains, peanuts, nuts vegetable oil and seeds may help reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s disease. However the study found the same benefits did not hold true for Vitamin E from supplements. Seasonal vitamin D deficiency is recognized as highly prevalent in North America. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation is recommended for individuals over the age of 65 because it has have been shown to reduce hip fracture

    Read More

  • Business Analysis: Pepsico And Apple

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we all should know, PepsiCo is one of the world’s leader in convenient food and beverages. PepsiCo shares are traded worldwide and particularly in NYSE (United States). PepsiCo is in the same line with Coca cola and Cadbury Schweppes as the dominating beverage companies. PepsiCo has successfully built a great brand name rivaling with coca cola, probably because PepsiCo unlike coca cola has its own bottling companies. With a competitive strategy based on differentiation rather than cost leadership like its fellow competitors PepsiCo invests highly in new packaging, flavors, formulas to outsmart their competition. Founded in 1919, producing a variety of sweet and grain-based snacks, carbonated and non-carbonated

    Read More

  • Technology and Social Change

    336 Words  | 1 Pages

    Today, Americans are faced with the increasing change of technology in our everyday life. Sometimes the change happens and we do not realize how it affects our lives. I think it is always a good idea to talk to someone that is older than yourself, like your grandparents to remind you of the times in their younger years. Hopefully, that will open your eyes to the changes we face in this generation and the generation to come. In this chapter, the author explores the relationship of changing technology to changes in both the environment and social institutions.

    Read More

More about Disillusionment With the American Political System

Open Document