I would like preface this piece with a disclaimer that I recognize the legitimate institutional barriers that exist to prevent people of color from exercising their right to participate in government. I understand the frustration that exists in these communities. Why should you care about or support a government that clearly doesn’t care about or support you? My call to action in this piece is directed particularly at white middle-class and upper middle-class college students, who have zero institutional barriers to access and the means to effect change from within the system, giving access to those who are currently systematically prevented from participating.
Who is responsible for the decline of a democracy? Is it the ruling class? Is it the media? These questions have been rolling through my mind for the past several months as I think about the state of American government. Some say that the legislature is responsible for the decline of a democracy because they pass the laws that help the executive consolidate power. Others say that the media is to blame for giving the executive a platform to disseminate dishonest information. Or for broadcasting whatever will get them the highest ratings, regardless of the consequences I would argue that there is a third component of democratic decline: the people.
In an old, moderately successful democracy like ours, it is easy to take a back seat. Let someone else more knowledgeable, more passionate take care of the problems. That is incredibly dangerous. Because our democracy has been around for so long, many Americans take their rights for granted. We forget that a key part of democracy is our willingness to participate. Granted, there are many people who are systematically prevented from participating, most commonly through restrictive voter registration and ID laws that particularly target poor people of color. But that is all the more reason for those who have access to the system to participate.
To keep our democracy, we need to take responsibility for the role we have played in undermining it and we need to recommit to fulfilling our obligations as citizens. It can seem very difficult to accomplish this task, and it is unrealistic to expect that of many people. Fortunately, it is entirely realistic to expect most Kenyon students to hold up their end of the democratic bargain. Most Kenyon students are white, will not be turned away from the polls because of voter ID laws, and have access to virtually any source of information imaginable. College campuses have libraries, and libraries not only have books, but also newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.
While Kenyon may have an ideologically liberal slant, there are still plenty of resources that highlight a variety of perspectives and some that are even apolitical. Yet, so many Kenyon students say that they feel too uninformed to vote, regardless of the fact that they have access to all the resources you could possibly need, including many of the candidates themselves, on campus. And if you don’t know what resources are best, you have an entire department of Political Science professors to ask (or you can read one of my earlier articles about news sources).
Not having enough time, or not caring, is also not a valid reason to decide to be apolitical. Everyone cares about something, and it can usually be tied back to the government in some way. For example, a lot of people care about music. For much of the early and mid 20th century, music was heavily subsidized by the federal government. People elected to office all the way from the President down to your local school board representative have made decisions about music that have impacted your life.
They decided how much money to cut from your school’s music program, they decided whether they should subsidize an entire symphony to reduce the cost of tickets, they decided (or failed to decide) how much money streaming services should pay musicians, and the list goes on. If all you care about is science, most of what your work will be largely, if not entirely, funded by the government. If you’re driving to work and your tire pops because of a pothole, that’s because the government has failed to invest in infrastructure in your city. If you have a disability, schools and employers are legally required to give you accomodations. The government is also responsible for all kinds of terrible things, like an egregious incarceration rate, drug policies that specifically target people of color, the heroin epidemic, low incomes, obesity, gun deaths, high health insurance premiums, low quality of public schools, and more.
But the best and only way to fix those problems is to participate. If you see a problem, call your representative, or go to a city council meeting, or just vote. Whatever you feel you can do, you should do. But it is incredibly dangerous to choose to do nothing. While we arguably have the freedom to do so, it would be an ironic and lazy interpretation of a right that millions have fought and died for. There are many things to be angry about in America to day. But that is all the more reason to get involved and stay involved. Because when people participate, the system works. It doesn’t matter how much special interest groups spend, because at the end of the day, the politicians are accountable to the voters, and the voters actually show up. Democracy takes effort, and if we aren’t willing to put in the effort, we shouldn’t be surprised when our democracy fails.
Image Credit: Feature, 1, 2, 3