Democracy is a system where the whole population, or at least all eligible members, elects the government. It presents many opportunities for its people, but at least in the United States, challenges come close to outweighing those opportunities.
Freedom is one great opportunity provided by democracy. Citizens in the United States have freedom of speech, press, religion, and supposedly the freedom to elect their own government. In a chapter of the book, The Politics of Power, an excerpt by Robert Dahl from his own book discusses democracy in New Haven, Connecticut. It states that, "By commonly accepted standards...the city was a democracy. Virtually all of its adult citizens were legally entitled to vote, they had a choice of candidates, and their votes were honestly counted in free elections" (11). The same is usually true in the United States (i.e. there is question about the 2000 elections), but does that mean that the whole population elects the government? Not always. In my opinion, the two biggest challenges presented by democracy are (a) that the country's elite have more influence over public policy decisions and (b) that the average American is often ignorant to those public policy decisions due to social position, access to resources and the altered images of reality presented by the media.
The Politics of Power states, "The richest 20 percent of American households earn more than half the country's income; the poorest quintile earn just 3 percent" (2). It is important to note that with more money, these people, CEOs and big businesses "can afford to hire lobbyists, contribute to campaigns, create organizations, gain access to decisions makers and thereby influence debates about public policy" (10).
The Politics of Power states, "The richest 20 percent of American households earn more than half the country's income; the poorest quintile earn just 3 percent" (2). It is important to note that with more money, these people, CEOs and big businesses "can afford to hire lobbyists, contribute to campaigns, create organizations, gain access to decisions makers and thereby influence debates about public policy" (10).
While America may appear to have formal political equality, its citizens are unequal in other ways, which creates political inequality whether we realize it or not. Dahl asks, "In a system where nearly every adult may vote but where knowledge, wealth, social position, access to officials and other resources are unequally distributed, who actually governs?" (11-12). The country's elite seem to have a greater influence over decisions that affect the rest of us, and it seems that there is little we can do about that. Furthermore, as Dahl points out, social position and resources also affect how Americans vote and are able to influence public policy.
An article on the United Kingdom's, "The Telegraph" website states that "Today, the American electoral process is 'run by the public relations industry', the primary task of which is 'to delude the public by carefully constructed images that have only the vaguest resemblance to reality'" (Chomsky is the author of Failed States). He even argues that these challenges have now become such a large problem that "the situation is now so extreme that democracy is no longer functioning in America."
An article on the United Kingdom's, "The Telegraph" website states that "Today, the American electoral process is 'run by the public relations industry', the primary task of which is 'to delude the public by carefully constructed images that have only the vaguest resemblance to reality'" (Chomsky is the author of Failed States). He even argues that these challenges have now become such a large problem that "the situation is now so extreme that democracy is no longer functioning in America."
So we must ask, who actually governs in a democracy? The people? The media?
Is our country really governed by the collective population or by its elite--CEOs, big businesses and those with the most money?
Sources:
Flint, James . "How big business killed democracy - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3653834/How-big-business-killed-democracy.html>.
Katznelson, Ira, Mark Kesselman, and Alan Draper. The politics of power: a critical introduction to American government. 6th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2011. 2-12. Print.
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