I fully agree with Alex Tan's stance that democracy is "the best system in the world. First, he touches upon lifestyle under other forms of government and about how scary it was to grow up under a dictatorship. I also think this would be extremely scary and it would be frightening to know that would just be the way of life. He also talks about how people under a democracy agree that it's great to have the freedoms we do, so I don't think we appreciate the many freedoms we have because of our government like freedom of religion and speech. Tan stated that ,"our demands are so many and we're very noisy" which I think is extremely true. As Americans, we don't realize that democracy is what allows us to voice our opinions like on social media, in school clubs, and lobbyist groups. If this was a communist country or we were under a dictatorship, those forms of activism would be filtered and basically impossible. Finally, one of the best parts of democracy is voting. We are able to exercise the right to better our government. They literally let us make it better so how could democracy not be the best form? It's literally power to the people. Overall, Alex Tan was correct when he said democracy is the "best system in the world" because it provides us freedoms which allow us to better our country as a whole!
I read this post on Instagram about how we live in a world of “comparison culture,” meaning we make judgements about the quality of our lives based on how we perceive the lives of others. The author said it was as if someone had cut off both arms of one person but only one of your arms, so you’d think your life was better and the other person thinks their life could be better, but neither of you realize you’re both bleeding to death. To me, her analogy translates well to our discussion on democracy. I understand Tan’s point about democracy being the “best” form of government because the alternatives, which he lived through, seem much worse, but it’s equally important to recognize that all forms of government, including democracies, fail their citizens in some way, shape, or form. Regardless of what our Founding Fathers claimed, all Americans are not created equally and we definitely don’t have an equal voice when it comes to our nation’s politics. Even if all eligible voters magically decided to exercise their right to vote and better the government, the system of “Tweedism” we have, in which the wealthy control the nominations, will always result in candidates that don’t accurately represent us the people, candidates who instead serve as political puppets to the donors that funded their campaign. Just because those living in a democracy have the freedom to speak openly and voice their concerns doesn’t mean politicians actually care about what we think. Democracy may be the best form of government compared to its alternatives, but it’s still not working in the United States.
Tan’s argument that democracy is the best form of government is two-fold. First, non-democracies generally have no checks and balances or a system of accountability, resulting in large ideological swings in politics and overall, an ineffective government unable to serve its people. Second, democracies are largely supported by democratic citizens, as shown by surveys and the lack of significant insurrections calling for a new form of government, and when the “silent rational majority” voices their opinions during election time, the people are sure to have their voices heard and be represented by their government. His argument also acknowledges the general dissatisfaction with government in the United States specifically and attempts to refute the critics of democracy by claiming that its predominant issue is the low voter turnout, not the form of government. When no one votes, the voices of a few drown out the voices of many, oftentimes resulting in surprise election results and dissatisfied voters.
I don’t think Tan’s ideas on the American government are “wrong,” but they are romanticized, or at least misguided by his experiences under a dictatorship. There are literally millions of American citizens born and raised in areas with high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates, who will most likely receive an inadequate education or none at all, whose limited educational and socioeconomic background will prevent them from obtaining a well-paying job, and who will likely pass on a similar, unsatisfactory lifestyle to their children because our government, a democracy, does not “work” for those people. When you look at those statistics, when you consider the systemic oppression of the disadvantaged in our society, it seems so ridiculous to expect all eligible American voters to participate in elections and show their concern for the nation’s political state when our government clearly doesn’t care about them. I think Tan’s right in that all citizens, theoretically, should vote to protect our government, but we should blame the failures of democracy on the elected officials responsible for them, not on the people who never vote because our government consistently neglects their welfare.
I agree with the second part of you anwer about Tan's skewed ideas of democracy because he experienced living under a dictatorship. At the same time, I think having this second perspective is interesting and important because it allows viewers to see the difference between the two forms of government. This may help some to appreciate their rights more, showing them that democracy is a better alternative to other forms of government. This is a fantastic answer though, and you brought up some really awesome points about elections and voter turnout.
I highly agree with the second part of your response regarding how theoretically citizens should vote in government. Democracy works good in theory or on paper. Democracy works best when citizens come out to vote and engage with their government, but in turn that government must engage, provide, and acknowledge all their citizens. It is difficult for a Democracy to function when people do not want to vote, do not feel as if their votes count, and do not feel that they are being represented. A government run for the people by the people must involve all people. Democracies with large populations may face difficulties when reaching out to their citizens and can underrepresented sectors of the population. I like your point regarding how millions of Americans live in areas with high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates. Due to their socioeconomic status they may be vulnerable to a variety of things such as a limited education, abuse, malnutrition, homelessness, and a lack of resources. For people living in these situations, Democracy does not work for them. Due to hardships and limited education, some people may not be able to engage in a Democracy. Being unable to lift themselves up their offspring may live the same lifestyle and a cycle is perpetuated.
I agree with your statement about Tan's perspective of democracy in relation to his experience living in a totalitarian regime, but I think that this only highlights how effective the democratic system is. I don't think his view is romanticized - I think he understand that democracy is best form of government because he has experienced other governments. How many of us in the U.S. can have this kind of perspective? We don't realize how free we truly are because we have never been subject to oppression under the State. You are right that our government isn't perfect. There are people who are poor, hungry, unemployed, and uneducated. Every country on Earth has some part of their population who are poor, hungry, unemployed, and uneducated. These societal ailments are no unique to the United States. Our government might not be perfect, but perfection is an impossible standard to strive for. At least we as citizens have the right to speak out against our government's actions and can peacefully elect and remove officials from office. The complexities of today's society have created challenges to having an efficient democracy. So much information is available that it is almost overwhelming and it becomes difficult to discern what is true or false and what is important. The way that we can have the most efficient democracy as possible is through two ways: education and government accessibility. When people are educated about their government system and the power of their government officials, they can more easily understand how the government can help them. When the government is more readily accessible, people are more likely to engage in civic participation and seek the change that they want to see. We can make a chicken-and-egg argument about how poor government function dissuades people from voting or if low voter turnout causes poor government function. The reality of the situation is that both is true and both problems need to be addressed if we want to maximize the efficiency of our democratic system. This is not a one-sided situation and it never will be. - Louise Adillon
I agree with Tan’s belief that democracy is still the best form of government; I also agree, however, with the statement that “democratic politics is messy.” The current political climate in the United States demonstrates the notion of “messy” politics because there are those who are very far left, those who are very far right, and those who are trying to find common ground. Demands are high and citizens are always asking their legislatures to make new changes. As Tan said, the economy is not the best in the world, although it isn’t the worst either. But the truth of his presentation lies in the response to his survey from members of Democratic countries across the world. Though many complain about the government and the lack of progress on certain issues, the majority of democrats are happy with their system of government. This happiness most likely comes from the rights they have through their nation's documents and legislature. In the United States, for example, Americans have the rights to free speech, press, religion, and more. These rights are often overlooked by Americans because, as Tan said, “our demands are so many and we are so noisy.” Many Americans, myself included, appreciate these rights, however, because the alternatives to a democracy are frightening. A dictatorship does not allow for citizens to express their beliefs or voice their concerns. Although democratic politics is often “messy”, the mess is far more appealing and fair than a system of government that does not listen to the concerns of the citizens. Therefore, I agree with Alex Tan’s statement that democracy is still the best form of government.
I agree that, although the basic rights that we have in America are often overlooked, they are at the core, appreciated by Americans. We as a people tend to understand that we are very blessed with our ability to live in a democracy, but tend to speak out more about what we do not like about our government. But that is the best part about our government. We are able to say everything we hate about it, without the worry of putting ourselves or the people we love in danger. While we tend to complain, we also realize that there are, like you said, much scarier governments out there, where we have absolutely no say.
I do agree with you on how the alternatives to a democracy are much worse than having to deal with politicians who do not listen to the concerns of citizens. I would much rather have a right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion than to have no rights at all under a communist government and have to live my life in constant fear of doing something wrong.
I agree that democracy in America right now is very messy, but I think that it is a good thing because it shows how much people care about improving their lives and the lives of the people around them. I also agree that many Americans often take for granted their rights, like freedom of speech and religion, however I think that deep down or subconsciously are grateful and aware of their rights and the fact that many around the world do not have these same rights because they live in countries that are corrupt and have non-democratic governments.
I agree with you that democracies are messy, including the United States' system of government, but I feel like this is unavoidable because people are bound to disagree when they have a right to express their own opinion. We are fortunate that we can express our opinions without punishment from the government, and this often results in us having many demands of our government and feeling like nothing is being done.
I agree with Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government, but only to an extent. When compared to the other governments that he uses, like totalitarianism states or dictatorships, then democracy seems like the obvious choice. It is the only form of government that allows for the people to have a say and to not have to listen to whatever the person or people in power say or tell them to do. For this reason, a perfect democracy would be the best form of government. However, a democracy can only be as great as the people who participate in it. If only a select few participate in government, such as by voting and letting their voices be heard, then only that select few is powering the government. However, if everyone takes part in the democracy, then it can be very beneficial to the society as a whole. Without this total involvement, then democracy is really no better than totalitarianism or dictatorships. The main difference would be that in democracy, the people have a choice to take part or not. Whether or not they actually make the choice to take part is what influences how it functions, whether as more of a totalitarianism state, or a democracy.
I agree with your point that although people have the right to participate in politics or not, the more participation influences how the democracy functions and improves upon it. A democracy that relies only on elected officials to run the country and make policies is not a democracy at all. I think people forget that as Americans we have a voice, and there is power in that voice. People have allowed the government to make decisions for them when, in fact, they should be making decisions in accordance with them.
I agree with the point you are making about how the people influence how democratic the government is and in turn affects the ability for a true democracy to occur. I think it is very interesting how you pointed out that if only a select few are participating, the democratic government becomes another form of government that is less representative of the people and gives more power to the few in charge. Therefore, in order to truly have the best form of government, there needed to be a majority of citizens partaking in the most democratic task, voting.
I do agree with Alex Tan's thoughts on democracy and that it is the best form of government. During his speech he pointed out that although a democratic government may not be excelling economically, it are still the best large scale government because the majority of citizens all over the world support democracy. Democracies are wealthier, less corrupt, and citizens are happier and healthier because they enjoy more rights than what they would receive in a communist government. However, democracy is not perfect. Although a democracy is created to be for the people by the people, politicians can become detached and won't listen to what changes the people want. Additionally, if not everyone in a democracy votes during elections, then the voices of the minority will not be heard and only the voices of the majority will come into play in politics. Despite all of the downsides of democracy, I still believe it is the best form of government because this system of government achieves values of accountability, representation, and responsiveness. If everyone votes in elections, democracies will truly be a government run for the people by the people.
I agree with Alex Tan's belief that democracy is the best form of government. Democracy is the best way of representing the will of the people and making sure that nothing against the people's best interest is being done. Democracy is also the least corrupt form of government because it allows for accountability. If a politician is not doing a good job or signed legislation that was not in the best interest of the people he or she is representing, those people have the power to vote him out of office and replace him with someone better. While there are flaws with democracy, like low voter turnout and detached politicians, it is still the best form of government. Even though the people who do not vote are not having their voices heard, it was their choice not to vote and they most likely do not care about the outcome of an election. There are some detached politicians, and while that is bad they are still held accountable during elections. The alternatives to democracy do not allow the voices of the people to be heard, and allow for corruption to easily take over with no way to get rid of it. This usually leads to oppression and poor quality of life for the people. Therefore, while democracy has its flaws, it is still the best form of government.
I agree with you that the voices of the people can not be heard in a government full of corruption and no accountability. I also agree with you when you said this can lead to poor quality of life because we see it in many other countries around the world that have tyrannical governments.
I agree with Alex Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government because it allows more people to enjoy equality and rights. Although not everything in our democratic society is perfectly equal, according to Alex Tan, the society and citizens enjoy more freedoms as a whole when run by a democratic government. Alex Tan's story about living in a tyranny as a child explains how many others feel not living in a society where they have human rights. He explains the fear he felt, how hopeless he felt, and how their is significant difference in the emotions of people who live under a Democratic government. This being that many people living under a democratic government have statistically shown to be happier overall. Despite this, I believe that there is still a lot of adjustments to be made to our democracy although democracy is constantly evolving overtime and was developed to change with the times. I believe, though, that we need to find ways to make this process slightly more efficient and effective in order to help a significant amount of people and our society as a whole.
I agree with Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government, but there are downfalls that must be improved upon. In order for democracy to work, everyone in that society must take part. That means high voter turnout, and political awareness. A democracy is only as strong as its people. Tan's story of living in a tyranny in his youth demonstrates the need for democracy because within this government, we have rights. Many feel safe in this country because of those rights, and we feel we have protection against tyranny. However, as stated before, there are things that must be improved as a democracy is not the solution to all problems. Not everyone feels they have equal access to the rights given to Americans; they feel discriminated, underprivileged, not heard by their representatives, and ignored. Although democracy is the best form of government, the downfalls cannot be overlooked just because it has been working so well for 200+ years.
I agree with Tan that democracy is the best form of government, but a democracy is based off of the citizens in it to function. Voters must show up to elections and be educated on issues in order to vote for candidates that represent them. Although democracy can have downfalls such as low voter turnout and not as an efficient economy like communist governments, it is focused on upholding the freedom of its citizens. I think that Tan has an idealized view of democracy and the reality is that elections can be unorganized and prone to corruption. There are many problems with democracies, but they are still better than communist governments because people have a say in the politicians who rule over them. I think that Tan is right that all citizens should vote in order to make democracy more efficient, but the problem is more to blame on politicians who do not follow the wishes of the people who voted them in or take part of corruption.
I agree with Tan’s statement that Democracy is the best form of government. After listening to this Ted Talk, I was reminded of a quote by Winston Churchhill. “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time” - Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947 Both Tan and Churchill allude to the idea that Democracy like any form of government is flawed, but Democracy is the best and the least flawed of them all. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or the eligible members of that population which is typically through elected representatives. On paper and in theory democracy can be the best. In theory it is government for the people by the people that allows the people to control what is happening to the people. Circumstance, population, identities, education, time periods, culture, and environment must be factored in to the Democracy that is in charge. Depending on how large the population is, a minority appears and may be underrepresented. Democracy is for the people by the people. However, through essentialism people have been divided into categories and are not always represented by the people who are the representatives. Democracy can easily be masked as for all people when it mainly benefits the majority. Sometimes it can only benefit the majority due to the resources. Everything has faults and nothing works to perfection. On a large scale, it is difficult to make sure everyone comes out to vote, respond to their community, be active in their community, and conduct their civic duty. Getting all people to cooperate and respond in a democracy and promote challenges and obstacles. If a government for the people run by the people cannot receive responses or cooperation from all the people, it may face difficulties. Checks and balances and accountability is a major proponent of Democracy because it ensures that people are checking the people and that there is some level of accountability. I do not think Tan's views of American government are wrong. After living under the government in the Philippines, experiencing something that is more uplifting for him was better. I think it is also interesting for me because I have only experienced and American democracy and have no anecdotes or personal experiences under a different regime or form of government.
I agree with Tan’s statement that democracy is the “best system of large-scale governance.” There is evidence to suggest most democratic countries’ citizens support their democracies but many people are still dissatisfied with the state of their democracies. Gridlocks and stalemates within government explain the discontent people have with the lack of policy that Is actually changed. Compared to other forms of government such as a dictatorship or an oligarchy, a democracy is the best system for representing the people. It is also important to note that the United States is a constitutional republic but simultaneously a representative democracy. There are many flaws within our form of government and some aspects should be less direct while others should be more direct but overall our government works. It has worked for more than 200 years and while it may have flaws that can be worked upon it is better than a form of government that actively stifles the voice of the people.
I agree with Tan and I think that democracy is the "best system of large-scale governance," but I do think that we still face a lot of challenges trying to keep our democratic system efficient and representative of the interests of all people. The only way that a democracy can help all those that it governs is through civic participation. Citizens who are eligible vote have to put in the effort to educate themselves about the workings of the government and its officials in order for the government to put in the effort to help the citizens. The power between the people and the government is not one sided and the responsibility is not one sided. Part of the problem is that we as a society have become used to the freedoms that our government allows us and so we no longer hold the respect for democracy that we did 200 years ago. This loss of respect has caused us a society to become lazy and overly trusting of our government officials to have our best interests in mind when they often don't. Political activism has been starting to rev up again in recent years because we were woken up with the election of a radical president. We need to participate in the election of our officials if we want our interests to be represented. We cannot be upset if our government fails us if we fail the government by not voting. A democracy is the best form of government because it takes into consideration the views and opinions of many people before decisions are made. Debate and discussion are necessary for good decision-making, and a democracy allows government officials to discuss with their peers and their constituents about what is in the best interest of the people. For that reason, democracy is the best, most fair, representative, and efficient form of government, as long as the people participate in it. - Louise Adillon
I agree with Alex Tan’s thoughts that democracy is the best form of government but would work even better with 100% citizen involvement. America’s democratic government was created with the idea that it would be a government for the people by the people, and in the best form of government, the people would have to be very involved in order to make things happen for their benefit. Tan references that America’s democracy today is not perfect, but the reason for this is the lack of influence from its citizens that has to do with the lack of voters. Furthermore, democracy is the best form of government because it gives the people a voice, and although debate comes with this, debate and argument can often be the best way to solve problems and always shows what the people want, which is an important part of governing for the people. If decisions were made by one sole power, a dictator, the people would have no say in government, which is not a productive way of conducting society. Tan discusses many times where extremist groups have threatened democratic society, but each time the democratic ideals have prevailed, showing that democracy is resilient which is an important trait in a successful government. In conclusion, the best form of government is a democracy in which all citizens are actively engaged, which is a utopia, close to perfect and the journey to perfect will help the nation advance and encourage a democratic form of government.
I agree with Alex Tan's statement that democracy is the best system in the world. Although there are many issues with the systems that nation's have implemented to enforce democracy, the freedoms that are upheld outweigh those issues. A democratic government is meant to be for the people and by the people, and this type of government can only succeed when the people actively participate in government. Tan speaks a lot on voting during his talk, and voting is the most effective way for citizens to ensure that their voices are being heard. In countries with dictatorships or authoritarian regimes the people are not allowed to vote, or have any kind of say. Even if they still live a comfortable live style under those types of governments, without interference in their personal lives from the military, the freedom of the whole country is compromised. Democracy can be the best system of government in the world, but it requires the cooperation and collaboration of citizens in order to maintain that title.
I agree that democracy is still the best system in the world, however, I do not think that is is perfect. In theory, it gives every citizen an equal role in governing themselves, allowing them to advocate for their own needs. Although, the system only functions if this happens. In practice, that is not what we see. Additionally, due to corrupt human nature, many are disenfranchised in this system.
When considering what other options there are, I could not come up with a system that would not disenfranchise some people. I was thinking that maybe a government with only the most qualified people participate. I could be more effective, then again, that could leave whole groups out. I believe that there could be more effective government systems, but I do not know how we would find them.
I fully agree with Alex Tan's stance that democracy is "the best system in the world. First, he touches upon lifestyle under other forms of government and about how scary it was to grow up under a dictatorship. I also think this would be extremely scary and it would be frightening to know that would just be the way of life. He also talks about how people under a democracy agree that it's great to have the freedoms we do, so I don't think we appreciate the many freedoms we have because of our government like freedom of religion and speech. Tan stated that ,"our demands are so many and we're very noisy" which I think is extremely true. As Americans, we don't realize that democracy is what allows us to voice our opinions like on social media, in school clubs, and lobbyist groups. If this was a communist country or we were under a dictatorship, those forms of activism would be filtered and basically impossible. Finally, one of the best parts of democracy is voting. We are able to exercise the right to better our government. They literally let us make it better so how could democracy not be the best form? It's literally power to the people. Overall, Alex Tan was correct when he said democracy is the "best system in the world" because it provides us freedoms which allow us to better our country as a whole!
ReplyDeleteI read this post on Instagram about how we live in a world of “comparison culture,” meaning we make judgements about the quality of our lives based on how we perceive the lives of others. The author said it was as if someone had cut off both arms of one person but only one of your arms, so you’d think your life was better and the other person thinks their life could be better, but neither of you realize you’re both bleeding to death. To me, her analogy translates well to our discussion on democracy. I understand Tan’s point about democracy being the “best” form of government because the alternatives, which he lived through, seem much worse, but it’s equally important to recognize that all forms of government, including democracies, fail their citizens in some way, shape, or form. Regardless of what our Founding Fathers claimed, all Americans are not created equally and we definitely don’t have an equal voice when it comes to our nation’s politics. Even if all eligible voters magically decided to exercise their right to vote and better the government, the system of “Tweedism” we have, in which the wealthy control the nominations, will always result in candidates that don’t accurately represent us the people, candidates who instead serve as political puppets to the donors that funded their campaign. Just because those living in a democracy have the freedom to speak openly and voice their concerns doesn’t mean politicians actually care about what we think. Democracy may be the best form of government compared to its alternatives, but it’s still not working in the United States.
DeleteTan’s argument that democracy is the best form of government is two-fold. First, non-democracies generally have no checks and balances or a system of accountability, resulting in large ideological swings in politics and overall, an ineffective government unable to serve its people. Second, democracies are largely supported by democratic citizens, as shown by surveys and the lack of significant insurrections calling for a new form of government, and when the “silent rational majority” voices their opinions during election time, the people are sure to have their voices heard and be represented by their government. His argument also acknowledges the general dissatisfaction with government in the United States specifically and attempts to refute the critics of democracy by claiming that its predominant issue is the low voter turnout, not the form of government. When no one votes, the voices of a few drown out the voices of many, oftentimes resulting in surprise election results and dissatisfied voters.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think Tan’s ideas on the American government are “wrong,” but they are romanticized, or at least misguided by his experiences under a dictatorship. There are literally millions of American citizens born and raised in areas with high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates, who will most likely receive an inadequate education or none at all, whose limited educational and socioeconomic background will prevent them from obtaining a well-paying job, and who will likely pass on a similar, unsatisfactory lifestyle to their children because our government, a democracy, does not “work” for those people. When you look at those statistics, when you consider the systemic oppression of the disadvantaged in our society, it seems so ridiculous to expect all eligible American voters to participate in elections and show their concern for the nation’s political state when our government clearly doesn’t care about them. I think Tan’s right in that all citizens, theoretically, should vote to protect our government, but we should blame the failures of democracy on the elected officials responsible for them, not on the people who never vote because our government consistently neglects their welfare.
I agree with the second part of you anwer about Tan's skewed ideas of democracy because he experienced living under a dictatorship. At the same time, I think having this second perspective is interesting and important because it allows viewers to see the difference between the two forms of government. This may help some to appreciate their rights more, showing them that democracy is a better alternative to other forms of government.
DeleteThis is a fantastic answer though, and you brought up some really awesome points about elections and voter turnout.
I highly agree with the second part of your response regarding how theoretically citizens should vote in government. Democracy works good in theory or on paper. Democracy works best when citizens come out to vote and engage with their government, but in turn that government must engage, provide, and acknowledge all their citizens. It is difficult for a Democracy to function when people do not want to vote, do not feel as if their votes count, and do not feel that they are being represented. A government run for the people by the people must involve all people. Democracies with large populations may face difficulties when reaching out to their citizens and can underrepresented sectors of the population. I like your point regarding how millions of Americans live in areas with high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates. Due to their socioeconomic status they may be vulnerable to a variety of things such as a limited education, abuse, malnutrition, homelessness, and a lack of resources. For people living in these situations, Democracy does not work for them. Due to hardships and limited education, some people may not be able to engage in a Democracy. Being unable to lift themselves up their offspring may live the same lifestyle and a cycle is perpetuated.
DeleteI agree with your statement about Tan's perspective of democracy in relation to his experience living in a totalitarian regime, but I think that this only highlights how effective the democratic system is. I don't think his view is romanticized - I think he understand that democracy is best form of government because he has experienced other governments. How many of us in the U.S. can have this kind of perspective? We don't realize how free we truly are because we have never been subject to oppression under the State. You are right that our government isn't perfect. There are people who are poor, hungry, unemployed, and uneducated. Every country on Earth has some part of their population who are poor, hungry, unemployed, and uneducated. These societal ailments are no unique to the United States. Our government might not be perfect, but perfection is an impossible standard to strive for. At least we as citizens have the right to speak out against our government's actions and can peacefully elect and remove officials from office. The complexities of today's society have created challenges to having an efficient democracy. So much information is available that it is almost overwhelming and it becomes difficult to discern what is true or false and what is important. The way that we can have the most efficient democracy as possible is through two ways: education and government accessibility. When people are educated about their government system and the power of their government officials, they can more easily understand how the government can help them. When the government is more readily accessible, people are more likely to engage in civic participation and seek the change that they want to see. We can make a chicken-and-egg argument about how poor government function dissuades people from voting or if low voter turnout causes poor government function. The reality of the situation is that both is true and both problems need to be addressed if we want to maximize the efficiency of our democratic system. This is not a one-sided situation and it never will be. - Louise Adillon
DeleteI agree with Tan’s belief that democracy is still the best form of government; I also agree, however, with the statement that “democratic politics is messy.” The current political climate in the United States demonstrates the notion of “messy” politics because there are those who are very far left, those who are very far right, and those who are trying to find common ground. Demands are high and citizens are always asking their legislatures to make new changes. As Tan said, the economy is not the best in the world, although it isn’t the worst either. But the truth of his presentation lies in the response to his survey from members of Democratic countries across the world. Though many complain about the government and the lack of progress on certain issues, the majority of democrats are happy with their system of government. This happiness most likely comes from the rights they have through their nation's documents and legislature. In the United States, for example, Americans have the rights to free speech, press, religion, and more. These rights are often overlooked by Americans because, as Tan said, “our demands are so many and we are so noisy.” Many Americans, myself included, appreciate these rights, however, because the alternatives to a democracy are frightening. A dictatorship does not allow for citizens to express their beliefs or voice their concerns. Although democratic politics is often “messy”, the mess is far more appealing and fair than a system of government that does not listen to the concerns of the citizens. Therefore, I agree with Alex Tan’s statement that democracy is still the best form of government.
ReplyDeleteI agree that, although the basic rights that we have in America are often overlooked, they are at the core, appreciated by Americans. We as a people tend to understand that we are very blessed with our ability to live in a democracy, but tend to speak out more about what we do not like about our government. But that is the best part about our government. We are able to say everything we hate about it, without the worry of putting ourselves or the people we love in danger. While we tend to complain, we also realize that there are, like you said, much scarier governments out there, where we have absolutely no say.
DeleteI do agree with you on how the alternatives to a democracy are much worse than having to deal with politicians who do not listen to the concerns of citizens. I would much rather have a right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion than to have no rights at all under a communist government and have to live my life in constant fear of doing something wrong.
DeleteI agree that democracy in America right now is very messy, but I think that it is a good thing because it shows how much people care about improving their lives and the lives of the people around them. I also agree that many Americans often take for granted their rights, like freedom of speech and religion, however I think that deep down or subconsciously are grateful and aware of their rights and the fact that many around the world do not have these same rights because they live in countries that are corrupt and have non-democratic governments.
DeleteI agree with you that democracies are messy, including the United States' system of government, but I feel like this is unavoidable because people are bound to disagree when they have a right to express their own opinion. We are fortunate that we can express our opinions without punishment from the government, and this often results in us having many demands of our government and feeling like nothing is being done.
DeleteI agree with Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government, but only to an extent. When compared to the other governments that he uses, like totalitarianism states or dictatorships, then democracy seems like the obvious choice. It is the only form of government that allows for the people to have a say and to not have to listen to whatever the person or people in power say or tell them to do. For this reason, a perfect democracy would be the best form of government. However, a democracy can only be as great as the people who participate in it. If only a select few participate in government, such as by voting and letting their voices be heard, then only that select few is powering the government. However, if everyone takes part in the democracy, then it can be very beneficial to the society as a whole. Without this total involvement, then democracy is really no better than totalitarianism or dictatorships. The main difference would be that in democracy, the people have a choice to take part or not. Whether or not they actually make the choice to take part is what influences how it functions, whether as more of a totalitarianism state, or a democracy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that although people have the right to participate in politics or not, the more participation influences how the democracy functions and improves upon it. A democracy that relies only on elected officials to run the country and make policies is not a democracy at all. I think people forget that as Americans we have a voice, and there is power in that voice. People have allowed the government to make decisions for them when, in fact, they should be making decisions in accordance with them.
DeleteI agree with the point you are making about how the people influence how democratic the government is and in turn affects the ability for a true democracy to occur. I think it is very interesting how you pointed out that if only a select few are participating, the democratic government becomes another form of government that is less representative of the people and gives more power to the few in charge. Therefore, in order to truly have the best form of government, there needed to be a majority of citizens partaking in the most democratic task, voting.
DeleteThis is Julia Acevedo
I do agree with Alex Tan's thoughts on democracy and that it is the best form of government. During his speech he pointed out that although a democratic government may not be excelling economically, it are still the best large scale government because the majority of citizens all over the world support democracy. Democracies are wealthier, less corrupt, and citizens are happier and healthier because they enjoy more rights than what they would receive in a communist government. However, democracy is not perfect. Although a democracy is created to be for the people by the people, politicians can become detached and won't listen to what changes the people want. Additionally, if not everyone in a democracy votes during elections, then the voices of the minority will not be heard and only the voices of the majority will come into play in politics. Despite all of the downsides of democracy, I still believe it is the best form of government because this system of government achieves values of accountability, representation, and responsiveness. If everyone votes in elections, democracies will truly be a government run for the people by the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex Tan's belief that democracy is the best form of government. Democracy is the best way of representing the will of the people and making sure that nothing against the people's best interest is being done. Democracy is also the least corrupt form of government because it allows for accountability. If a politician is not doing a good job or signed legislation that was not in the best interest of the people he or she is representing, those people have the power to vote him out of office and replace him with someone better. While there are flaws with democracy, like low voter turnout and detached politicians, it is still the best form of government. Even though the people who do not vote are not having their voices heard, it was their choice not to vote and they most likely do not care about the outcome of an election. There are some detached politicians, and while that is bad they are still held accountable during elections. The alternatives to democracy do not allow the voices of the people to be heard, and allow for corruption to easily take over with no way to get rid of it. This usually leads to oppression and poor quality of life for the people. Therefore, while democracy has its flaws, it is still the best form of government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the voices of the people can not be heard in a government full of corruption and no accountability. I also agree with you when you said this can lead to poor quality of life because we see it in many other countries around the world that have tyrannical governments.
DeleteI agree with Alex Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government because it allows more people to enjoy equality and rights. Although not everything in our democratic society is perfectly equal, according to Alex Tan, the society and citizens enjoy more freedoms as a whole when run by a democratic government. Alex Tan's story about living in a tyranny as a child explains how many others feel not living in a society where they have human rights. He explains the fear he felt, how hopeless he felt, and how their is significant difference in the emotions of people who live under a Democratic government. This being that many people living under a democratic government have statistically shown to be happier overall. Despite this, I believe that there is still a lot of adjustments to be made to our democracy although democracy is constantly evolving overtime and was developed to change with the times. I believe, though, that we need to find ways to make this process slightly more efficient and effective in order to help a significant amount of people and our society as a whole.
ReplyDeletealso this is eva by the way I don't know why it posted as unknown.
DeleteI agree with Tan's statement that democracy is the best form of government, but there are downfalls that must be improved upon. In order for democracy to work, everyone in that society must take part. That means high voter turnout, and political awareness. A democracy is only as strong as its people. Tan's story of living in a tyranny in his youth demonstrates the need for democracy because within this government, we have rights. Many feel safe in this country because of those rights, and we feel we have protection against tyranny. However, as stated before, there are things that must be improved as a democracy is not the solution to all problems. Not everyone feels they have equal access to the rights given to Americans; they feel discriminated, underprivileged, not heard by their representatives, and ignored. Although democracy is the best form of government, the downfalls cannot be overlooked just because it has been working so well for 200+ years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tan that democracy is the best form of government, but a democracy is based off of the citizens in it to function. Voters must show up to elections and be educated on issues in order to vote for candidates that represent them. Although democracy can have downfalls such as low voter turnout and not as an efficient economy like communist governments, it is focused on upholding the freedom of its citizens. I think that Tan has an idealized view of democracy and the reality is that elections can be unorganized and prone to corruption. There are many problems with democracies, but they are still better than communist governments because people have a say in the politicians who rule over them. I think that Tan is right that all citizens should vote in order to make democracy more efficient, but the problem is more to blame on politicians who do not follow the wishes of the people who voted them in or take part of corruption.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tan’s statement that Democracy is the best form of government. After listening to this Ted Talk, I was reminded of a quote by Winston Churchhill.
ReplyDelete“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time” - Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947
Both Tan and Churchill allude to the idea that Democracy like any form of government is flawed, but Democracy is the best and the least flawed of them all. Democracy is a system of government by the whole population or the eligible members of that population which is typically through elected representatives. On paper and in theory democracy can be the best. In theory it is government for the people by the people that allows the people to control what is happening to the people. Circumstance, population, identities, education, time periods, culture, and environment must be factored in to the Democracy that is in charge. Depending on how large the population is, a minority appears and may be underrepresented. Democracy is for the people by the people. However, through essentialism people have been divided into categories and are not always represented by the people who are the representatives. Democracy can easily be masked as for all people when it mainly benefits the majority. Sometimes it can only benefit the majority due to the resources. Everything has faults and nothing works to perfection. On a large scale, it is difficult to make sure everyone comes out to vote, respond to their community, be active in their community, and conduct their civic duty. Getting all people to cooperate and respond in a democracy and promote challenges and obstacles. If a government for the people run by the people cannot receive responses or cooperation from all the people, it may face difficulties. Checks and balances and accountability is a major proponent of Democracy because it ensures that people are checking the people and that there is some level of accountability. I do not think Tan's views of American government are wrong. After living under the government in the Philippines, experiencing something that is more uplifting for him was better. I think it is also interesting for me because I have only experienced and American democracy and have no anecdotes or personal experiences under a different regime or form of government.
I agree with Tan’s statement that democracy is the “best system of large-scale governance.” There is evidence to suggest most democratic countries’ citizens support their democracies but many people are still dissatisfied with the state of their democracies. Gridlocks and stalemates within government explain the discontent people have with the lack of policy that Is actually changed. Compared to other forms of government such as a dictatorship or an oligarchy, a democracy is the best system for representing the people. It is also important to note that the United States is a constitutional republic but simultaneously a representative democracy. There are many flaws within our form of government and some aspects should be less direct while others should be more direct but overall our government works. It has worked for more than 200 years and while it may have flaws that can be worked upon it is better than a form of government that actively stifles the voice of the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tan and I think that democracy is the "best system of large-scale governance," but I do think that we still face a lot of challenges trying to keep our democratic system efficient and representative of the interests of all people. The only way that a democracy can help all those that it governs is through civic participation. Citizens who are eligible vote have to put in the effort to educate themselves about the workings of the government and its officials in order for the government to put in the effort to help the citizens. The power between the people and the government is not one sided and the responsibility is not one sided. Part of the problem is that we as a society have become used to the freedoms that our government allows us and so we no longer hold the respect for democracy that we did 200 years ago. This loss of respect has caused us a society to become lazy and overly trusting of our government officials to have our best interests in mind when they often don't. Political activism has been starting to rev up again in recent years because we were woken up with the election of a radical president. We need to participate in the election of our officials if we want our interests to be represented. We cannot be upset if our government fails us if we fail the government by not voting. A democracy is the best form of government because it takes into consideration the views and opinions of many people before decisions are made. Debate and discussion are necessary for good decision-making, and a democracy allows government officials to discuss with their peers and their constituents about what is in the best interest of the people. For that reason, democracy is the best, most fair, representative, and efficient form of government, as long as the people participate in it. - Louise Adillon
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex Tan’s thoughts that democracy is the best form of government but would work even better with 100% citizen involvement. America’s democratic government was created with the idea that it would be a government for the people by the people, and in the best form of government, the people would have to be very involved in order to make things happen for their benefit. Tan references that America’s democracy today is not perfect, but the reason for this is the lack of influence from its citizens that has to do with the lack of voters. Furthermore, democracy is the best form of government because it gives the people a voice, and although debate comes with this, debate and argument can often be the best way to solve problems and always shows what the people want, which is an important part of governing for the people. If decisions were made by one sole power, a dictator, the people would have no say in government, which is not a productive way of conducting society. Tan discusses many times where extremist groups have threatened democratic society, but each time the democratic ideals have prevailed, showing that democracy is resilient which is an important trait in a successful government. In conclusion, the best form of government is a democracy in which all citizens are actively engaged, which is a utopia, close to perfect and the journey to perfect will help the nation advance and encourage a democratic form of government.
ReplyDeletethis is julia
DeleteI agree with Alex Tan's statement that democracy is the best system in the world. Although there are many issues with the systems that nation's have implemented to enforce democracy, the freedoms that are upheld outweigh those issues. A democratic government is meant to be for the people and by the people, and this type of government can only succeed when the people actively participate in government. Tan speaks a lot on voting during his talk, and voting is the most effective way for citizens to ensure that their voices are being heard. In countries with dictatorships or authoritarian regimes the people are not allowed to vote, or have any kind of say. Even if they still live a comfortable live style under those types of governments, without interference in their personal lives from the military, the freedom of the whole country is compromised. Democracy can be the best system of government in the world, but it requires the cooperation and collaboration of citizens in order to maintain that title.
ReplyDeleteI agree that democracy is still the best system in the world, however, I do not think that is is perfect. In theory, it gives every citizen an equal role in governing themselves, allowing them to advocate for their own needs. Although, the system only functions if this happens. In practice, that is not what we see. Additionally, due to corrupt human nature, many are disenfranchised in this system.
ReplyDeleteWhen considering what other options there are, I could not come up with a system that would not disenfranchise some people. I was thinking that maybe a government with only the most qualified people participate. I could be more effective, then again, that could leave whole groups out. I believe that there could be more effective government systems, but I do not know how we would find them.