Democracy (Part 1 of 3)

I just finished my Comparative politics midterm, so I have democracy in the brain. One of our questions was something like "compare democracy to authoritarianism."

No brainer right? Democracy = good, authoritarianism= bad. In one system people have a say, in the other they are controlled. For the sake of a shorter blogpost, let's say we all like having the ability to have a voice in government, thus we all prefer democratic government.

However, this answer would not suffice for a midterm. There must be an elaboration. What is democracy, and why is it good? And is it really that good, or is it over-romanticized?

Now, I like having freedom as much as the next American, but I will not hesitate to say that our system is flawed. Presidential Democracy, like any other government system, has its evils. One of the reasons a lot of other nations frown upon America is because of the arrogance many citizens have about the "awesomeness" of the American government. What people do not realize, however, is the many other democratic options.

I love the separation of powers; that makes sense to me. No one has too much power, everyone has a specific job, and ambition is checked.

What I don't get is our electoral system. It's indirect and even if candidate wins by a slight electorate mark, they still "represent" the whole state. We could have a good 40 percent of a state underrepresented in an given presidential election.

Take a look at the 2000 elections. Al Gore won the popular vote, but lost the electoral vote to Bush. How can you call that fair? Political biases aside, it is ridiculous that the majority of the nation can want one leader, and another is elected. That is not democratic. Our combination of Single Member District (winner take all) and electoral system creates a misrepresentation of our nation.

Basically, when we are in grade school and are being taught about the wonders of American democracy, we have a right to be proud. Proud to be trail blazers, proud to be revolutionaries, proud to be rebels with a cause. But we are socialized to think we are the best, flawless government that this world has ever seen. And that simply is not true. Our government has its flaws, and yes it has worked for us, but it still lacks. It lacks true representation, and takes power away from the general public. And are we not "Of the people, for the people, [and] by the people"?

I say it's time we take a good hard look at the American government and realize we aren't perfect, and we should stop acting like it.