Democracyisauniquetypeofgovernment,andthepurposeofthisessayistoillustratethestrengths andweaknessesthatademocraticgovernmentprovides.Iwilldetailthatmanycomponentsofthis typeofsocietyarebothstrengthsandweaknessaseachcomponenthasbeneficialaspectsaswellas unavoidablepitfalls.Ademocracyisagovernmentbythepeople,inwhichthepowerisvestedin thepeoplethemselves.Thepeoplethenelectrepresentativeswhoconducttheirpowerinafree electoralsystem.TheDeclarationofIndependence,whichsaysthatallmenarecreatedequal,was writtenonthepremiseofademocracy.AccordingtoJohnLocke,whowroteTheSocialContract, beforeacknowledgingthatanindividualispartofashowmorecontent
Thelawsofsocietyareappliedequallytoeveryone,butequitabletothecircumstances.Thesame holdstruefortaxes:thosewithhigherincomespayalargerpercentageoftheirincomeintaxesthan thoseinlowertaxbracketsAlthoughnotequallyapplied,thetaxlawsareequitableDemocratic lawsarewritteninsuchawayastoallowinterpretationdependinguponcircumstances."A thousandcircumstances,independentofthewillofman,facilitatethemaintenanceofademocratic republicintheUnitedStates"Initially,lawsaredifficulttodesignbecauselawmakerscan'tthinkof everypossibility,everyscenario,andeveryobstaclethatmaypresentitselfinthedemocracy. Despitethesedifficulties,lawskeepsocietytogetherandprovideunityforthecitizensAdvantages forcreatinglaws,include,butarenotlimitedto,providingdirectionforthecollectionoftaxes, declaringclearexpectationsforcomplianceandpunishmentofcitizensandeliminationofchaos.A weaknessofdemocracyisthe"TyrannyoftheMajority".Thisisaninevitablepitfall,becauseina democracy,thepowerisvestedforemostinthepeopletheconstitutingthesocietyitself.Alexisde Tocquevillewroteonthisconcept:
"Democraticlawsgenerallytendtopromotethewelfareofthegreatestpossiblenumber;forthey emanatefromthemajorityofthecitizens,whoaresubjecttoerror,butwhocannothaveaninterest opposedto
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ADemocraticSociety
Throughouttimethedebateuponwhichisthebestsystemofgovernmenthasbeenanongoing debate.Somewherebetweentherealmsofdemocracy,socialism,fascism,communism,and monarchismliestheanswertotheperfectsystemTraditionallyspeaking,NorthAmericahasalways triedtoremaindemocraticinruling.Thedemocraticsystem,unlikeit'salternatives,encourages equalityandlibertyamongthepeoplewhichinmodernsociety,makesitthemostattractivesystem ofgovernmenttoday
Arguably,equalityisthegoalofmanygovernmentstoday.Butwhatonemustrealizeisthat equalitycannotbereachedwithoutgivingsomeoneelseinequality.Whiledemocracyinfluences equality,showmorecontent
LibertyispossiblythemostimportantattributeinAmericanandCanadiansociety.Whatpeople wantistheabilitytomaketheirowndecisionsandgoaboutlifewiththefreedomtodosoIna democraticsociety,peopleareabletovoicetheiropinionstogovernmentandultimatelyplayan importantroleinthemakeupandorganizationofsociety.Toanewnation,theseattributesofour societyarequiteattractive.Manynewnationstodayaremakingtheswitchtodemocratic government.Theproblemwiththisisthatmostofthesenationshaveneverbeendemocraticbefore. Therefore,newnationsarehavinggreatdifficultybecausesuchaswitchisnoteasilyaccomplished Todevelopademocraticsocietyithastakensomemoremorethananentirecentury.Thesenew nationstendtorushthechangeandintheendtheybecomefrustratedbecausesuchaswitchisnotas easilyaccomplishedasthoughtThefeaturesofamoderndemocraticstatearefirstlyasociety dedicatedtothepreservationofrightsandfreedoms.Fromthat,agovernmentsystemmustadhereto developingaformofgovernmentwhichencompassesthevaluesofaworkingsociety.Inother words,agovernmentforthepeople,runbythepeople,andasystemintowhichtheyhaveinvested. AnexcellentexampleofanationthatcomprisestherightsandfreedomsofitspeopleisCanada.As anationwe
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DigitalDemocracy
Overtheyearsthemediahasmadecitizensmajorroleplayersinpolitics.RossPerotopenedeyesby puttingthe1992Electioninthemediaandtherebyallowingvoterstobecomedirectlyinvolvedin politicsTheInternet,thenewformofmassmedia"hasturnedintoamajorpoliticalandmedia industry"(Grossman16).BecauseoftherisetheInternethastaken,theideaofdirectdemocracyhas risen.Thefoundationofdirectdemocracyisinself–government.Theclaimisthatthepresenceof theInternetwillincreasecitizens'involvementinpoliticalissuesbyallowingthemaccesstomore information.Thisissignificantbecauseittakesalookattheimpactoftechnologyonsocietyand politics,aswellbyshowmorecontent
RepresentativegovernmentisgroundedintheConstitution.TheConstitutionwascreatedtoprotect citizensfromfactiousgroupsthroughtheestablishmentofanextendedrepublicintendedto "diminishthechancesthatanyonefactionwillgainmajority"(Kamark&Nye29)However,itis stillpossiblethatcitizens,asthemajority,willtyrannizeeachother(25).
Theoristscontendthatrepresentativegovernmentisheadedfordirectdemocracybywayofthe Internet.Essentiallywhatwillhappenisthatrepresentativeswillnolongerbeneededbecause citizenswillbeabletousetheInternettomakedecisionsGrossmancontendsthat"themorepower [citizens]havetocontroltheirgovernmentandtoinvolvethemselvesinmakingitsdecisions,the better"(41).Overtheyearscitizenshavebeenobtaininginformationthroughthemedia, newspapers,andotherformsofmassmediaTheissuesthatarisewithobtaininginformation throughthesesourcesarethatthegovernmentcaneasilycensorthem.WiththeInternetcomes "vastlyexpandedcapacitiesfordatacollection,forcomputation,andforautomation"(Kamark& Nye22).
Inhisessay,Applbaumexpressestheneedforincreasedintelligencewiththeincreaseof informationavailableontheInternet(Kamark&Nye22)Basically,astheInternetbecomesa largerresourceforinformation,itwillfalltothesamefateasotherformsofmassmediaandwill thereforbecomemorecensoredas
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Traditionally,thepurposeofdemocracyistopreventtheaccumulationoftoomuchauthorityinthe handsofoneorafew.ItrestsonabalanceofgivingenoughpowerforwhatAlexanderHamilton called"vigorousandenergeticgovernment"andavoidinggivingoutsomuchpowerthat itbecomesabused.Democracyisbelievedbysome,suchasWinstonChurchill,tobethe "leastbad"formofgovernmentBycreatingasystemwherethepubliccanremove administrations,withoutchangingthelegalbasisforgovernment,democracyaimsatreducing politicaluncertaintyandinstability,andassuringcitizensthathowevermuchtheymaydisagreewith presentpolicies,theywillbegivenaregularchancetochangethosewhoareinshowmore content...
Thethreatofcoercivepowerisstillthemaincauseforconcern.Ahistoricalexamplewouldbe Hitlerinpre–NaziGermany,whowas'elected'in1933bytheGermanpeoplewiththelargest minorityvote.Forthisreason,somecountrieshavecreatedconstitutions/lawsthatprotectparticular issuesfrommajoritariandecision–makingGenerally,changesintheseconstitutionsrequirethe agreementofasupermajorityoftheelectedrepresentatives,orrequireajudgeandjurytoagreethat evidentiaryandproceduralstandardshavebeenfulfilledbythestate,or,veryrarely,areferendum. Thismeansamajoritycanstilllegitimatelycoerceaminority,butsuchaminoritywouldbevery smalland,asapracticalmatter,itishardertogetalargerproportionofthepeopletoagreetosuch actionsOntheotherhand,proponentsofbroaderdemocracywonderwhatgivesasmallminorityof peopletherighttoimposetheirwillonthemajority.
"Democracyhasfailedtoeliminatesocialinequality,andthisseemsapermanentandstructural failureItisundeniablethatalldemocraticsocietieshavesocialinequalities–substantialdifferences inincome,inwealth,andinsocialstatus.Thesedifferenceshavepersisted:thereisnoindication thatinequalitywilleverdisappearindemocracies.Inthestablewesterndemocracies,inequalityis apparentlyincreasing.ThepatternestablishedintheUnitedStatesis,thatthelowestincomesdonot grow:
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