Democracy Fails in Modern Society (Essay Sample)

DEMOCRACY FAILS IN MODERN SOCIETY
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Democracy Fails in Modern Society
Democracy is an ideal that modern societies have attempted to achieve with continuous failure. As a system of governance, democracy is based on freedom of the people, following its Greek translation “rule by the people” as conceptualized in Athens. The application of democracy follows a need to account for the citizens of a jurisdiction in making decisions that affect lifestyles within the community. Although the foundation of democracy was justice and fair treatment, several ambiguities and shortfalls present challenges to the application of this mode of governance. In this presentation, I posit that the application, running, and functionality of democracy is a flop stemming from historic ambiguities in the conceptualization of the ideal.
From defining democracy, it is self-explanatory that the system of governance is a reflection of the people it rules. The behavior of citizens determines the success and effectiveness of applying the pillars of democracy. People, though social, have a self-preservation and selfish attitude towards material, and immaterial yet beneficial entities. The Athenians were considered aristocrats during the conception of the democratic rule, but in modern society’s education, wealth, kinship, and colonial ties are some of the factors that govern the interaction of people within and beyond nation or state borders. The relations between people affect the elements of freedom, such as in separation of powers, and conduction free and fair elections.
Democracy is unrealistic in nature since freedoms are ambiguous. Freedom of speech is an example of a freedom encompassed in democracy, yet it is regulated through various bottlenecks. Boundaries to freedom have been set by governments to protect the position and needs of the few. Use of constraints such as national, state, and/or company secrets, sexist language, and hate speech restricts the speaker from exploring the freedom of speech, and such is the mode by which freedom is regulated. This applies to all freedoms that have been provided under the democratic principles, which include the right to run for office as well as vote during elections. Children are not allowed to cast votes in elections, due to the constraint of age, thus exhibit the unrealistic nature of democracy, as the children are ‘people’ as well,
Decision-making processes in democratic nations are some of the most challenging. The structures in most democratic regions involve a house of representatives, such as parliament, where the will of the people is presented. The elected members in the house rarely consult the citizens he/she represents in debates on various issues. Once elected in a political position, most politicians pursue personal gain and success. Politicians pursuing wealth and political favors do not consider what the people want concerning decisions regarding governance. Personal motive and understanding of a scenario determine the position assumed by the elected official on governance, thus alliance to political part...