“Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” -Oscar Wilde. A quote that, in many respects, paints a highly accurate picture of government of the United States, especially in its current form. Harkening back to the days of the Athenians, democracy has changed the way that is implemented over the years but has not lost the ideals. These ideals acknowledge the rights of people, the inherent God given rights that everyone person has and which no government can take away or manipulate. A democracy is a government in which the ruled are essentially the rulers. Far from perfection, but, in the view of the majority of the world, the only viable form of government. Democracy is an intrinsic American value. Some would go as far to say democracy is American (they would be wrong, of course). Though Americans may be democracies biggest cheerleaders amongst the citizens of the world, the concept does not belong to them alone.
The most obvious form of democracy in America occurs whenever voting takes place. People go to the polls and vote for the person they think will best represent their views in some facet of the government whether it be local, state, or federal. However, elections are winner-take-all, and invariably some person’s rights to have their preferred candidate will represent them will be taken away. As stated by Thomas Jefferson “ A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” This is how democracy works. There are no doubt flaws, but every system has them. It is then the responsibility of the representative to remember not only those who elected him or her to office, but also those who did not, for these people are still his or her constituents and need to be heard. Unfortunately, America has changed democracy from representing the people to representing a party, but that is a discussion for another time.
Democracy is as it’s ugliest when mob rule occurs. There are those who believe that the majority is always in the right; this is not the truth. Mob rules is a sever flaw of democracy, because in true democracies a majority is all that counts. The American government is crafted in a way where majorities hold all the power. Minorities are virtually powerless. Another unfortunate aspect of true democracy is the power granted to the people. Winston Churchill once stated “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.” Harsh, but, in many cases, true. The sheer lack of knowledge held by some voters is astonishing, and to imagine the power they have can be intimidating. It has become popular these days to ask for a leader like the common man. I could not disagree more. I want someone to represent me in office who is more intelligent, more ethical, and just all around better than I am. I want someone who can make decisions even when the majority is against him or her because he or she knows an alternative is the best solution. Democracy can be ugly (it usually is) but there are silver linings.
This form of government acknowledges the rights of human beings better than any other. It not only acknowledges these rights, but protects, upholds, and cultivates them. Democracy does not allow power to be consolidated to a few but rather all who are governed. It keeps our representatives honest (at least to some extent), as they have to answer to us when their seat is up in an election cycle. Our government is that of a democratic republic, where our representatives are democratically elected to their positions, in that we, the people, cast votes in order to elect them. The ability to vote is the best aspect of democracy.
Democracy is showcased every day in America. It comes in the simple form of sharing an opinion that might contradict the government. It could be a letter to one’s representative urging them to vote according to one’s view on a piece of legislation. It is the accessibility to our government that is overlooked every day. Our representatives that we elected are shaping the path the government is going down and putting our views and desires into action.
America has been a showcase for democracy since the country’s creation. It has been democracy’s champion, as its citizens are passionate about the concept and the ideals that are idolized through the practice. Democracy has its flaws, but it is the only viable government that recognize the rights and liberty that all people possess.
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