A remarkable thing has happened … for the first time in over 35 years, former president Jimmy Carter has said something I agree with. In a speech at the meeting of “The Atlantic Bridge” in Atlanta, Georgia, he said, “America no longer has a functioning Democracy.” I have also found it remarkable how difficult it has proven to be to find a full transcript of his speech; most references are to an article in the German publication Der Spiegel and even those seems to be a passing reference. So I can’t say I agree with his reasoning or the premises he based it on. But I have to agree with the conclusion.
The main difficulty, it seems to me, is that, as a people, Americans have become intellectually lazy. Very few bother to study issues and events; instead, they swallow entirely the cursory coverage mass media gives them. Said media outlets focus on the superficial and the sensational. They do not seek to educate – their goal is to entertain, and to keep people interested only long enough to satisfy their advertisers. The result is that people are very passionate about issues they barely understand. The problem magnifies itself over the back fence and at the water cooler, as half-baked opinions mingled with sentiment reinforce each other and snowball into an avalanche of ignorant passions. And, of course, this just gives the media outlets an excuse to fan the fire … after all, people are already invested in it, covering the hype means more exposure and more sponsorship, and, more money.
But these people are voters. And not only do they echo these opinions at the polls, they rally and they protest so others will do the same. Our so-called democracy is a game of Pied Piper. It’s not a matter of an educated population thoughtfully debating and forming an intelligent consensus. It’s a matter of who can sway the most opinions, mainly on the basis of emotion and superficial gut reaction. But laws are being passed, and public policy set by these same opinions. Is that how a real democracy is supposed to function?
And sadly, it’s not just the media outlets. Politicians are fully aware that they hold their power not because the voters know them fully and trust them to do what is best for the entire community; they hold it based on who can best capture public sentiment, and get the most people to dance to their song. Is that how a real democracy is supposed to function?
The end result, though we call it democracy, is mob rule. The only reason our culture hasn’t collapsed under the weight of it isn’t because we have an enlightened and superior system, but because there are still enough intelligent and decent people active enough to hold it up. But that is fading fast, with each new generation composed of more people selfishly out for their own gain, and more swayed by the knee-jerk reaction than by careful thought. And such are fed and nurtured by those they put in power, so they can stay in power. It’s not sustainable; and I shudder to think what will grow in its place when it all comes crashing down.