Saturday, December 7, 2013

By the People, For the Powerful


By the People, For the Powerful
Jason Thomas

‘A government by the people; rule of the majority’. This is not a famous quote or a passage from a famous document; it is the dictionary definition of democracy. Presently there are many diverse notions of what a true democracy should look like.  Those in power believe the majority do not have the capacity to govern themselves and therefore see democracy as a vessel for their agenda organized by the want and need to keep their power at any cost. Those without power have to believe a democratic system in which they have a limited voice and struggle to provide for themselves and their family is not a true democracy.  How can it be if a majority of minorities are living near or below the poverty line? If they truly lived in a democracy, would that majority not be able to change the government for the betterment of that majority?  A bourgeois democracy is at the core of this disparity in our country; however our social values have also skewed our moralities to the point that materials and the state economy are of greater value than citizens.  It seems that the interests of property are being placed above human rights.
demographics divide schools
            This corruption begins with our education system where the government uses education as a way to deposit racial stereotypes.  Instead of teaching children how to think for themselves and analyze the world around them, the current system treats students as a sponge.  What are minority students soaking up?  They are inferior to whites.  According to a recent poll, minority and low-income schools (who receive much less funding) not only have greater academic deficiencies.  “Parents from wealthier families were less likely than those from less affluent ones to see bullying, low parental involvement, low test scores, low expectations and out-of-date textbooks as serious problems.” (Huff Post, Elliot and Agiesta)  The current system of funding creates these problems.  We can ill afford to maintain the current system if minorities are to have an equal opportunity to become socially engaged.   
            Being socially unaware is dangerous to the ideal of a true democracy.  If certain groups of the population are being trained to be unaware, then we are enabling those in control to enjoy their unchecked power over the lower classes and minorities.  Looking back on the history of our country, where has the most change originated?  Not from within the political system but external to it.  The civil rights movement and women’s suffrage were both initiated outside the walls of The Capital and The White House.  Self-aware citizens actively began to open the mind and hearts of those around them in order to make them see the injustices taking place around them.  Once they engaged those around them they forced those in power to change the law as necessary to enact change needed to advance humanity and the ideal that everyone is equal.
            It is so important to have each person engaged in their community and to voice their opinion on the happenings of the nation and the world.  For example, I was not aware of the struggles of school children in Arizona who were fighting to keep a program in place which gave them a much better chance of succeeding in school and ultimately in life.  Now that I am aware of their struggles I can research ways in which I can help them and others like them in order to better their chance of having the same opportunities I have.  If citizens were to stop engaging each other within the community the communication lines of alteration will effectively shut down the system of change outside the political sphere.  Since most change come to fruition by those outside the government as stated before, this would be a disastrous omen for the progressive acts in creating equality. 


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