Essay/Term paper: A democratic society

Essay, term paper, research paper:  History Essays

A Democratic Society


Throughout time the debate upon which is the best system of government
has been an ongoing debate. Somewhere between the realms of democracy,
socialism, fascism, communism, and monarchism lies the answer to the perfect
system. Traditionally speaking, North America has always tried to remain
democratic in ruling. The democratic system, unlike it's alternatives,
encourages equality and liberty among the people which in modern society, makes
it the most attractive system of government today.
Arguably, equality is the goal of many governments today. But what one
must realize is that equality cannot be reached without giving someone else
inequality. While democracy influences equality, communism and socialism frown
upon the very idea that all people should be treated equal. The very idea
that all men are created equally is very misleading. All men are not created
equally. Human beings are unequal in essence because they are unequal in most
physical and psychological characteristics along with health, intelligence, and
emotional balance. For most of us, living amidst inequality is common.
Equality is said to be having the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. In
modern society this is very true to a certain extent. The only thing equal
about people is that we are all born and eventually we all die. In North
America, I believe that equality among people is nearly impossible. The
education is the main source of the problem. Education itself created
inequality between children at an early age. Since no two persons are created
equally, they will not have the same opportunities, nor will they make use of
opportunities offered to all people like the education system.
One of the most important things to a person living in North America is
liberty. Liberty Liberty can be defined as limited only be laws
established on behalf of the community . To a certain extent, this enables
people to be in control of their own lives. The individual has the right to
choose how they conduct their lives. In the U.S. people rely on the Bill of
Rights to protect themselves from government and other people. This bill of
rights includes freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Among these freedoms is
also the freedom of religion and freedom from unreasonable searches by the law.
In Canada we have a similar system called the Bill of Rights and Freedoms that
is made up with similar beliefs of it's counterpart. Liberty is possibly the
most important attribute in American and Canadian society. What people want is
the ability to make their own decisions and go about life with the freedom to do
so.
In a democratic society, people are able to voice their opinions to
government and ultimately play an important role in the make up and organization
of society. To a new nation, these attributes of our society are quite
attractive. Many new nations today are making the switch to democratic
government. The problem with this is that most of these nations have never been
democratic before. Therefore, new nations are having great difficulty because
such a switch is not easily accomplished. To develop a democratic society it
has taken some more more than an entire century. These new nations tend to rush
the change and in the end they become frustrated because such a switch is not as
easily accomplished as thought. The features of a modern democratic state are
firstly a society dedicated to the preservation of rights and freedoms. From
that, a government system must adhere to developing a form of government which
encompasses the values of a working society. In other words, a government for
the people, run by the people, and a system into which they have invested.
An excellent example of a nation that comprises the rights and freedoms
of its people is Canada. As a nation we live by our rights and freedoms and use
them as a guide to act accordingly. We the people, as part of Canadian society,
are able to participate in the workings of our country. This is represented in
our political cycle. I call our political system "the feedback cycle". In this
cycle, demands and supports are inputted into the administration, voted on, and
eventually outputted into society and the cycle continues. Our political system
enables us to have our say through representation of an elected official in
government. Ultimately, the power is not solely in the hands of government.
When people are unsatisfied with government they take the necessary steps to
replace the person or people that are not doing their job properly.
Affirmative action programs are put in place to increase the number of
minorities in the work place. But again, this creates inequality because there
is not an equal opportunity for all races to get the job is they still practice
discrimination. By this I am referring to the discrimination of white males. I
agree that there are not enough ethnicities represented in our work place but I
also strongly believe that if a person is qualified for a job than skin color
shouldn't matter. This statement can work both ways too. If a person of black
skin applies for a job, and is better qualified for the job than a white person,
but still is not granted the job than not only is it racist but by not hiring
the black person the position is not being properly filled. Nothing is gained
accept for an insufficient worker. Since we live in a democratic society,
people are assumed to have the same opportunities and chances as the next person.
So in my belief, affirmative action is failing society and causing more
inequality. Affirmative action will never be a solution to racism. It is more
a way of controlling racism. Ideologically, affirmative action is a great idea
but in our society racism plays such a major role that it only makes the problem
of racism worse. To racists, when things like affirmative action show up it
only enrages them further. Seeing a person with white skin losing a job to
someone who looks different is the last thing some racist wants to see. To the
disbelief of many there is such a thing as equal opportunity. We are told we
are all equal by our government but why aren't we all treated equally then? The
answer is because it has taken far too long for goverment to step in and state
that all men deserve the same opportunities despite their skin color or race.
And in the end it doesn't matter how much power a government has. It will never
be enough to abolish hundreds of years of racism.
Government is the most powerful institution crated by man. Power is
limitless. Since government cannot be under the same moral limits as
individuals there are two limits on power; 1-moral, 2-constitutional. Morally,
a government has its limits just as you or I have ours. Constitutionally, the
government has it's rules and we must follow them. Social order would collapse
if private individuals considered themselves free to break the moral law when
their interests require it. Since constitutionalism is how we arrange to
situate our liberty to the state, then constitutionally speaking we are in
charge of ideals and conduct preached to us by government. So in way government
is a way of telling ourselves that although morally we know what is correct we
are not capable of doing so without outside interference. In other words we
know that it's wrong to commit a crime but we choose to have police watch over
us to make sure we don't break the law. The whole idea that society needs
police to watch over us to keep us from doing what we already know is wrong is
absurd. This leads me to believe that society is incapable of moral thinking.
Why would someone do something they know is wrong. The answer is because
society makes it ok for people to make mistakes. Perhaps punishments are not
strong enough but I tend to agree with the theory of natural law. Our society
will never overcome its barbaric ways if we do not use morals and our better
judgment.
When speaking about freedom it is necessary to state that although being
able to live your life as you choose, no person is ever guaranteed freedom. Yes
we are free to make our own choices but the word freedom leads you to believe
one may do what ever they please. But that is not the case. You are free to
make your own choices but when you make the wrong one and break the law your
liberty is taken away. Without one's liberty you are in control of the state
and unable to make your own choices. It is almost like freedom is suppressed.
When a person is no longer at liberty they cannot make their own decisions and
they fall under government restraints. The only way you may be able to
guarantee freedom is to follow certain conditions specified by government which
tell you how to conduct your life. The structure of government provides a
constitutional system to show us how to act accordingly. Liberty is far more
likely to be attained if all conditions are abided by a society as a whole
instead of for instance a place that does not meet these conditions.
A democratic society cannot function properly without liberalism.
Liberalism is an ideology. It is a whole way of thinking. To be liberal means
you are optimistic. Liberty and equality are the two things that separate our
society from that of a communist or fascist government system. With things like
the civil rights movement our society is slowing becoming more aware of the
world beyond that our immediate environment. Ethnic groups and minorities are
better represented our society than they were fifty years ago. You can no
longer discriminate against someone because of there skin color which makes our
world a more politically correct environment. Being democratic gives all people
an equal chance to prove themselves in life. One thing I have learned about
democracy is that is important to be open and not to think in the same mind set.
Rules are meant to be broken. I have always thought that part of being
democratic means making room for new ideals and theories that make society
function better as a whole and in the end be more capable in handling problems
in society. With all this in mind, freedom is in the hands of the individual
and it is their choice what to do with it.