Democracy is the backbone of many developed countries, but is it really the ideal form of government that it's made out to be? In these trying times, and with the 2020 American presidential election just around the corner, the debate rages perhaps now more than ever: What are the pros and cons of democracy?
The pros of democracy
Democracy is the most humanitarian form of government, designed to promote equality and justice for all. These are the pros of democracy and why we should embrace it.
Democracy takes a humanitarian approach
Human rights are at the heart of democracy. In a democracy, whenever there is a problem in society that people face, the people who are most affected by it are the ones who get to decide what to do about it. This is how democracy fights for and protects human rights.
Whether it be equal access to resources such as education or medical care, or equal representation and voting rights, or equal opportunities to improve oneself and raise one's social and economic standing, democracy advocates for equality.
Democracy puts the power into the people's hands, and prevents too much power from being invested in only one person. Putting all the power in one person's hands risks that person only looking out for their own self-interests, and enacting laws that hurt society rather than helping it.
Democracy affords us four basic and inalienable rights; freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to assemble, and equal representation before the law. Citizens get to enjoy expressing their opinions openly, going anywhere and doing anything they please, and making (and keeping) their own wealth.
Democracy creates a sense of identity and patriotism
When people come together to vote or to protest, they are doing so in the spirit of a shared heritage, identity, and democracy. People in a democracy have a strong sense of national pride, and those who share similar values and opinions rally together to make sure their nation stands tall.
Democracy claims to be humanitarian, but is really a vehicle for corruption, abuse of power, and repression of minorities. These are the cons of democracy, and why this form of government should be reformed, if not abolished.
Democracy is slow and inefficient
Between the back-and-forth compromising, the endless discussions, and pocket-lining tactics that democracy allows for, hardly anything productive ever gets done in a timely manner. This often leaves people to suffer for unnecessarily long periods of time.
Politicians spend the most time and effort trying to gain votes by the majority of the population. This means that minorities are often overlooked, if not completely disregarded.
From general misinformation to propaganda and post-truth politics, politicians use less-than-honest tactics to manipulate voters into voting for them and their policies.
Politicians can bend the system to their will in a democracy
Politicians are given too much freedom to play with the system. Sometimes it's simply bending the rules, and other times it's outright manipulating them. The guardrails put in place by democracy, meant to protect the people, can be uprooted and instead bent to protect politicians from the repercussions of their dirty deeds.
People vote for their own self-interests in a democracy
Politicians aren't the only ones looking out for themselves. The truth of the matter is that voters only vote on issues that directly affect them and their own self-interests. They couldn't care less about what is better for the greater good as long as they get what they want.
