11 September 2006
Thoughts on democracy
I think that tradition and repetition have drawn us to the conclusion that democracy should be the ultimate goal in government. It looks good on paper, that the majority should have it their way. But I have a couple of beefs with this mind set.
First the execution of democracy is seldom perfect. The mere existence of democratic practices does not ensure that they will be carried out with fairness. I think that the quality of the democracy is just as important. Even in places where democracy has flourished the longest - Britain and its ex-colonies for example - proportional representation is hard to come by. What good is a democratic system where only two viable political parties exist and a person can get elected as a representative with the support of only a minority of the voters?
Also, when it comes to issues of human rights, democracy will fail miserably. It is generally the minority of the population whose rights get trampled on because of the will of the majority. If, for example, the majority of a particular population had been enjoying the benefits of owning slaves for centuries, it would be difficult to convince them that abolition was the right thing to do. For more current issues, one need only look at gay rights and aboriginal treaty negotiations. Their rights should not be subject to the will of their fellow citizens.
So it's with eye-rolling annoyance that I hear about a group of christian bigots labouring under the ironic and verbose title of "Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association" to oppose a change in the curriculum of Vancouver schools. This "silent majority" believes that an elective course for high school seniors called "Social Justice," which focuses on gay and lesbian issues, somehow infringes upon their right to teach their children to be bigots.
By silencing the minority, a political group can eradicate its ability to persuade governments enshrine its rights into the law. The degradation of public education will come at the hands of religious fundamentalists and hate mongers. Their prevalence in society will be due in part to out twisted relationship with democracy, in that we tend to revere it more than justice.
I've been meaning to write an essay on the idea of "otherness" and how it works to reinforce those peculiar, dysfunctional institutions in the bigger animal called "civilization". Democracy will be a part of that discussion. I'm not opposed to it, but I see it as one of those issues where if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. The fringes of society tend to get short-changed by the democratic process.
First the execution of democracy is seldom perfect. The mere existence of democratic practices does not ensure that they will be carried out with fairness. I think that the quality of the democracy is just as important. Even in places where democracy has flourished the longest - Britain and its ex-colonies for example - proportional representation is hard to come by. What good is a democratic system where only two viable political parties exist and a person can get elected as a representative with the support of only a minority of the voters?
Also, when it comes to issues of human rights, democracy will fail miserably. It is generally the minority of the population whose rights get trampled on because of the will of the majority. If, for example, the majority of a particular population had been enjoying the benefits of owning slaves for centuries, it would be difficult to convince them that abolition was the right thing to do. For more current issues, one need only look at gay rights and aboriginal treaty negotiations. Their rights should not be subject to the will of their fellow citizens.
So it's with eye-rolling annoyance that I hear about a group of christian bigots labouring under the ironic and verbose title of "Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association" to oppose a change in the curriculum of Vancouver schools. This "silent majority" believes that an elective course for high school seniors called "Social Justice," which focuses on gay and lesbian issues, somehow infringes upon their right to teach their children to be bigots.
By silencing the minority, a political group can eradicate its ability to persuade governments enshrine its rights into the law. The degradation of public education will come at the hands of religious fundamentalists and hate mongers. Their prevalence in society will be due in part to out twisted relationship with democracy, in that we tend to revere it more than justice.
I've been meaning to write an essay on the idea of "otherness" and how it works to reinforce those peculiar, dysfunctional institutions in the bigger animal called "civilization". Democracy will be a part of that discussion. I'm not opposed to it, but I see it as one of those issues where if all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. The fringes of society tend to get short-changed by the democratic process.
Labels: neocon bunk
// posted by Parge @ 10:19 AM
