So, yesterday I came out and called people who do not embrace democracy as un-American. It might seem odd to be a self-identified progressive and liberal and to use that term "un-American." Isn't that the term that self-proclaimed patriotic blowhards use to condemn people who don't agree with their narrow interpretation of what it means to be an American? Yes. Isn't this a free country and shouldn't we refrain from creating a singular idea of what an American is? Yes, but... the thing is that being a proponent of democracy won't in any way determine who you are as an individual. You can be pro-life and a proponent of democracy, and you can be pro-choice and a proponent of democracy. The principle of democracy is a bed-rock principle. It is nothing more than the canvas on top of which we paint our identities.
Our country is dysfunctional, and I think the reason for that is that we've lost our sense of democracy. See, I've been racking my brains to find one thing that we can all agree on, because only then can we become the country that we want. Whatever that is. Of course, the second I say "abortion," you have a reflexive judgement, and nothing I can say will change that. Can anybody tell me about the time they witnessed a pro-life proponent change the mind of a pro-choice proponent or vice versa? No, you can't. Can you get a person who favors gun-rights to accept gun control? No again. The battle-lines have been fixed for decades and this makes change impossible, but democracy changes that. Democracy is really the only thing we should agree on. It is what America is all about.
But, wait, Dewey, you say, the history of America isn't all that democratic. I mean, the extermination of Native Americans and slavery and the denial of equal rights to women and minorities... at what point where we ever truly democratic? Okay, okay. I teach U.S. History, so I don't need a history lesson, but I'd like to make a distinction between America-in-practice and America-as-an-ideal. All the terrible things that America as a country has done like stealing one third of Mexico is an example of America-in-practice. We are not now, nor should we ever be beholden to that America. America-in-practice dies every generation. Once upon a time America-in-practice allowed slavery, but that America died. Once upon a time, America-in-practice banned gay marriage, but that America died. What American wants to be defined by a dead America? But here's the thing: America-as-an-ideal can never die, and that America has been around since the Declaration of Independence.
When Thomas Jefferson wrote, "All men are created equal," he owned slaves, but whether he meant to or not, he gave birth to an ideal that ultimately abolished slavery. Sure, the wording needed to be tweaked, but I think it's telling that in 1848 the Declaration of Sentiments promoting gender equality modeled itself on the Declaration of Independence. They could have simply written a new document, but they didn't, because the American ideal is so powerful that it transcends momentary hypocrisy and short-sightedness.
A cynical person might argue that the founding fathers were a bunch of rich people who wanted more money and power and they convinced poor people to fight and day so that they could have the country to themselves and they wouldn't have to share it with England. These guys thought created a rhetoric of freedom that motivated a lot of colonists to join their cause. There is a lot of truth to that, but regardless of their motives, the rhetoric- the ideal- continues to inspire. And let's be fair. While America was not all that progressive in the beginning, we didn't have much competition in that regard.
But here's the thing about the American ideal: it's impossible. We will never fully realize a totally democratic state. America-as-an-ideal is a straight line that America-in-practice veers closer and closer to, but will ultimately never touch. That means that no matter what we achieve, there's more to achieve. That means that American exceptionalism is a dangerous lie that makes you think you've done it, when you need to keep working. And some people might be depressed by that notion, but we can certainly reach a point where the distance between America-as-an-ideal and America-in-practice doesn't really matter. I don't think we're there, but we can get there.
But the only way we can get there is by embracing democracy. Teddy Roosevelt said, "The government is us; we are the government, you and I." So if the government doesn't seem to reflect who we are, then we need to look at ourselves to see how we can change it. Democracy isn't just about voting, but actively making the change you want to happen, happen. I'm trying to do my part, and I don't care what you believe in, I hope you do yours too. But the only way we can succeed is if we we allow our country to be as democratic as possible. If our government can't reflect the will of the people, than it isn't our government.
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