Democracy, no spectator sport

By icitizen-admin 12/04/07 4 comments

The World Forum on the Future of Democracy in Williamsburg, Va., was a great opportunity to reflect on the nature of democracy and what we have learned in the project so far. If I were to take one message away from the World Forum it would be that democracy is no spectator sport. Through the course of the three-day conference we were reminded that a successful democracy requires the active participation of its citizens. A vital question that we have to grapple with in the 21st century is how to ensure this participation in a world where voting and citizen participation is declining. Indeed one of the greatest threats to democracy today in the developed world is that citizens will disengage from the political process. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine alluded to this threat during his speech at the opening ceremony saying that it is more than possible in a few years that we will have to find a new word for a system of government that has universal suffrage but where very few people actually choose to vote.

The good news is that with a concerted effort, convincing people to become engaged in politics should be easy. In our interview, Hunter Rawlings, president emeritus of Cornell University, said that people should become interested in politics because the issues are interesting; the issues discussed at the World Forum, he said, are the most interesting things one can think of.

View original media here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O09I2Wm2coc

One of the best ways of promoting citizenship and defending democracy is education. This was a point raised by Chan Heng Chee, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States, who said it is very difficult to oppress an educated population.

View original media here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM5FRyY3TY8

Chan referred to formal education, but the term can be viewed in a wider context— keeping up with the news and learning about the important issues facing one’s community or country. It is for this reason that a free press is crucial to a functioning democracy. A point raised in a previous interview with Tala Dowlatshahi, of Reporters Without Borders, and why Freedom House regards freedom of the press to be the fundamental freedom of a functioning democracy as was explained by Paula Schriefer.

View original media here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhQtNIATjZQ

View original media here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqG7sLoCCVw

The greatest threat to democracy today comes from within, not from the outside. Although there are structural issues that can encourage and affect participation, such as the media and education, it is really in our hands to make sure that the democratic system works. iCitizenForum will continue this discussion.

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Filed Under: tim kaine, reporters without borders, participation, hunter rawlings, freedom house, free press, education, democracy, citizenship

4 comments so far. Add a Comment

11 weeks ago wkuTP commented:

As a young college student, I know that my place in this democracy is to understand the system and the issues, and to vote competently. For our country to function properly, those my age must be active participants in the process, but I can’t help identifying with my peers who simply do not care or feel that the government is irrelevant to their lives. Many view the government as a static entity, under the thumbs of the elite and too large to change. To my media-drowned generation, the bureaucratic process of voting and contacting officials feels stale, as well as ineffective. That is, how can we expect to feel that our town’s mayor, much less a senator in Washington, will pay heed to the cares of any one of us when even neighbors hardly shoot the breeze any more (now we’re just strangers). The world inhabited by our youth careens toward apathy at the same rate it becomes more complex – filled with gadgets, media, consumerism and other diversions – and less relevant to the “real” world, with its demands for civic engagement and political education, but without pomp and flash. What we need to make youth understand the relevance of politics to their lives is either to lead them from their distractions, or to somehow make politics relevant to them. My confidence rests with the former.

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11 weeks ago wku.AshleyBelcher commented:

I agree that we can only look within ourselves to find a civically engaged society, and as a member of Generation Y, I believe the future lies mostly in our hands. But from my twenty-something viewpoint, the media fails as an encouragement to participation. In past elections, MTV’s Rock the Vote and 20 Million Loud campaigns have specifically targeted my generation. In 1992 President Bill Clinton appeared on MTV and answered the “boxers or briefs” question, leading to a youth voter turnout higher than ever before. But the 2000 and 2004 elections were a different story. Using the celebrity bandwagon appeal failed to work. Why? In my opinion, Generation Y is inundated with media. The only way a political campaign is reaching youth is through the TV. Teens are now numb to the importance of democracy and civic engagement. Our media-obsessed society is simply adding to the apathy of my generation. What happened to taking a stand, protesting for your beliefs? I believe the grassroots movement of the Barack Obama campaign has the potential for change. In his speech at the Democratic National Convention, Obama stated, “Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time. America, this is one of those moments.”

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49 weeks ago stephen b. commented:

I was particularly intrigued with Chan Heng Chee’s closing statement about the United States’ ability to self-correct. Is this a function of democracy or this a uniquely American trait?

Over the past seven years we have watched the current Presidential administration lead our country away from many of its most important tenets such as the rule of law. As I have watched the subsequent public outcry over the direction the country is heading under its current leadership, I have reflected on how no one has ever once suggested that the system is broken.

Many of us may not support the President’s agenda, nor do we approve of Congress’s general ineffectiveness, but at no time has any sane person stood up and said "the government is broken, we need a new one." No, we simply wait for the system to run its course because we all know that an election will be held in 2008 and a new President will be sworn in January 2009. In lesser countries, the congress or parliament would have been dissolved or other draconian measures would be promoted. But not here. Why? Because we can and do self-correct.

The peaceful transfer of power in this country is one of its most remarkable traits. And yet if you step back and think about it, the whole system can seem so fragile because it is based entirely on the buy-in of the people. And yet it sustains because it is not a spectator sport. People do get involved. Even if they do not vote they know that they can.

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46 weeks ago an anonymous user commented:

The system will only be invigorated if there is Public-Private partnership along with grassroots participation to tell people how to get involved with our Republican-Democratic form of Government at all levels (Federal,State,County, and Municipal). This includes knowing where, when, and how to vote; Who your representatives in all levels of government are and how to contact them; and when public meetings dealing with issues affecting a town take place, how to get there at a appropriate time and when to let your views be known. If the people dont get involved, even with all these options at their proposal, then they have no right to complain when some legislation or candidate is picked that doesnt serve their best interests. Of course Knowing how and when to set aside time to get involved with Government and Public issues lies with the responsibility with each and everyone of us.