Democracy in a nutshell
Democracy, coming from the Greek word demokratia, literally means “rule of the people”. While there are no official book definitions of what democracy means, there are certain characteristics that constantly appear in articles, definition and academic papers written about it. For one, democracy is accepted to be a form of government where the majority rules. This means that for some to be the ruler of his or her state, he or she must be elected by the people of said state .
Furthermore, democracy also entitles that there is active participation of the people in both political and civil life. They must also be the protection of human rights of the citizens of the state and most importantly, the must be a set of laws and procedures that applies equally to everyone living in the said state .
It is also interesting to note that democracy has some of the most idealistic ideas in the different types of political systems. This is because democracy is based upon the ideals of freedom and fairness. While this may like the best way to lead any country, democracy is not without its flaws and its greatest flaws are its presiding ideals.
While freedom and fairness are great ideals indeed, they become a problem when it is applied in the wrong way. For instance, the fact that democracy works in the favor of the majority, if the majority is “wrong” (place in quotation marks as the basis of moral judgment is another longer topic which will need its own essay to discuss), then those in the minority who knows better will still have to conform to the consensus .
This can also be rooted in the fact that democracy has an overabundant love for fairness which tends to lead to despotism. This despotism is not seen in its common form, but rather, in the sense that the majority has the power to decide. This of course will seem the exact opposite of the point of democracy, hence the reason why it is considered a flaw like the given example above.
Another side-effect of democracy is individualism. As freedom is another main ideal of democracy, it is not unexpected that people will start to look out for themselves in a world where they are in no way above everyone else. Again, individualism has its uses and advantages, but applied excessively and it will do the person no good which in turn leads to another dilemma of democracy: morality.
Morality of the majority may not always be right. Depending on the information you have, the times you live in and the understanding of the motives of the other person, an action may be judged moral or immoral by society when it is not what it looks like. This is why democracy follows a set of laws and procedures true, but it also cannot be denied that there are times when these laws and procedures hinder the process of justice being meted out instead of helping it .
Finally, another aspect which affects the role of democracy which is connected to morality (which in turn is a topic that can and has been discussed in relation to freedom and fairness) is the culture of the people living in the state. Culture is an ever evolving aspect of society. It is not only what defines a society in the eyes of those living outside of it, but it is also shaped by the society itself. Just like morality, culture is a topic in itself, but it is brought up now to show just how much power the people have in a democracy and the danger it poses .
In a state where all are free to do as they please as long as they follow the law, many different forms of culture will emerge which in turn will affect the outlook of the people in and outside of the state, which in turn will affect the morality of the state which if not checked, can cause severe damage to the state and undermine the whole point of democracy .
Is America a democracy?
Judging by the fact that America has all the traits of a democracy both good and bad, the freedom to choose, the right to be treated equally, the participation of the people in the politics of the nation, and the preservation of a person’s human rights it can be considered that America is a democracy. While it may not be the shining example of a democracy (in truth, no government existing today can be considered a shining example of their field), it is a democracy nonetheless as it does have the most common characteristics of a democracy .
As a democracy, America is also inherent to all the advantages and disadvantages of democracy. To start off with its advantages, America follows the set doctrine of democracy where what truly rules in not the person elected, but rather the law. Even if the person is elected by the majority to lead, democracy still demands that everyone be equal in the sight of the law, a trait that is also practiced by American democracy .
Another characteristic of democracy which is prevalent in America is the sense of freedom and fairness that democracy stands on. In this regard (and when boiled down to its most common meaning), the law of America state that everyone has the right to pursue what makes them happy, as long as this pursuit does not hinder the freedom, happiness and fairness that others also experience .
An example of this can be seen in the elections of the country where, for instance, an elected official cannot extend their terms without the consent of the people as dictated by the law. to better explain, the fact that one official will extend their term without consent of the majority will help the official pursue what makes them happy, but this will hinder the progress of those also vying for the position (and their pursuit of happiness) thus this practice is not accepted by the law .
This process of equality may seem messy and confusing, and it is in many regards, but that is exactly why there are laws to begin with. Of course, this in turn will look like a hindrance of freedom, and while it may seem that way, the reason behind it is the fact that there is not absolute freedom in the world.
Even if one was to ignore the rules of man, one still has to follow the rules of nature. Freedom is another concept that can make its own paper, for now, however, the point of freedom here is the fact that it must go hand in hand with fairness. Fairness, in a way, also hinders freedom as the law basically dictates that if one cannot get something, then it is only fair that the other doesn’t either. But fairness allows the propagation of peace as absolute freedom will most undoubtedly lead to anarchy .
Conclusion
It is true that democracy is not a clean nor exclusive form of government to the United States, but it is a form of government that the US practices with a good amount of progress and has been working since the time it was implemented about two hundred years ago. Furthermore, the factors and the outcomes of the freedom that democracy gives to the US has been proven to not be ill-advised.
Despite the number of possible destructive effects and scenarios that democracy is entitled to, the democracy being used by America today as proven to be able to hold out to the times. This does not mean that it is a full proofed system however, and whether or not this will change will depend on the people.
As the people are equal, it can be said that the survivability and progression of democracy in America, and the world over will depend on how well the people are able to control themselves, and their neighbor’s desires.
Liberty is messy, and the path to upholding it is no more cleaner than the path to attain it, but in the end, it is priceless and worth the possible backlashes it may have towards the people practicing it, and the generations to come after.
Works Cited
Farlex. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. 2009. 20 May 2013.
Haidt, Jonathan. Of Freedom and Fairness. 2013. 20 May 2013.
Stanford. What is Democracy? 21 January 2004. 20 May 2013.
Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America Summary. 2013. 20 May 2013.
