The tangled threads of democracy

The Norman Transcript

January 14, 2006 12:15 am

— For The Transcript

Our political choices are numerous -- some trivial, some serious. We might choose Democrats, Republicans,
conservatives, reactionaries, radicals or more than likely some confused mixture of them. On rare occasions
we might even turn up a genuine independent. Among the various systems readily available to us,
"democracy" seems the most appealing to the majority. The difficulty is the word "democracy" has multiple
meanings often gratifying the emotions rather than expressing a substantive idea.
The threads holding democracy together are principally truth, loyalty, reason and objectivity. Critical is the
thread of meaning, common understanding. All of us who use the word should have a clear sense of what we
are talking about and be able to define it simply and clearly. One way to put it is to say democracy is a form
of social and political organization which all members of the group have not only the right but also the
opportunity to participate in determining the principles, the policies and the direction of the group. And they
share equally the required taxes and burdens.
In one sense life is an obstacle course; we are compelled to clear first one hurdle and then another. Perhaps
the most difficult is one we rarely pause to analyze -- "the control sequence" -- parents, schools and
authoritarian institutions often exercising authority with an air of infallibility. Until we can become self-
directing and intellectually independent of authoritarian institutional controls, we are not grown up. And until
we grow up, democracy can never be fully realized. In a genuinely democratic group decisions are collective
ones; everyone affected has a fair degree of influence. In final analysis, dictatorial, manipulative and
authoritarian administration and "leadership" are anti-democratic. This is also why the idea of a democratic
army is a contradiction.
Straining the threads binding our democracy are increasing population and technological proliferation. These
guarantee four things: a more complicated life and society; more dependence upon one another; more
difficulty in stabilizing democracy and making the system work with fairness and justice. Whether we like it
or not these conditions call for more controls. The question is not will there be more controls; the question is
will they be equitable, humane and efficient. The political left accepts the dictum: The more complicated
society the more inescapable the controls. The political right, having abandoned concern for balanced
budgets, equitable taxes and diminished government disagrees, so their objections are not very persuasive.
Economic irresponsibility threatens to sever the threads of democracy. Waste is critical. Waste of petroleum is
staggering. The automobile industry is beginning to reap the whirlwind and our nation is suffering the anguish
of prodigality. Especially waste of oil in war is a crime. During the Vietnamese war we squandered untold
millions of pounds of petrol flying booze, cigarettes and diplomats across the Pacific. The first two served an
identifiable function; the latter was naive extravagance. Now we change the geography and continue much the
same waste. Such carelessness destabilizes the economic foundations of our democracy. For stability we must
have abundant resources permitting trade and production of useful goods readily at hand. Minimum food,
clothing and shelter must be available. The public must have employment and feel assured of a regular
income. The value of money must be stable, with no faction -- labor, corporations or financiers -- dominating
the others. Fair taxation, a minimum need for paternalism supported by a steady state economy richly
contributes to a solid foundation for political democracy.
The myth of "rugged individualism" undermines a thoughtful foundation. We should face reality: The frontier
is closed; the "six gun" is substantially useless, needed only by the police, and the industrial division of labor
binds us one to another. Our industrial-technological society is dependent upon cooperation, integration and
coordination. Ignoring these facts suggests we are writing history on the sands "that leave naught for
tomorrow's passer-by."
Peace is a pre-condition for a durable democracy. War and revolution can sweep away old dynasties and
social systems, but they do not in themselves assure democracy. Violence can clean the Augean Stables of
politics but does not necessarily lead to democracy or assure that it will work. To make a democracy work,
not only must institutional conditions be right but also the psychological ones as well. People must want
democracy; they must be willing to suffer the stress inherent in the democratic process. Theological and
metaphysical convictions must harmonize with reality, for their conflict can impede the growth of democracy
or even destroy it. At the moment the U.S. is immersing itself in religious fundamentalism while neglecting
the moral obligations that go with democracy as well as the faith. Democracy is necessarily a moral system
and does not permit us to ignore the obligations we owe to one another. Grave danger is evident in the use of
religious fundamentalism to justify war. To argue that God sanctions war, as some evangelists do, makes a
mockery of the discipline of theology, and shows the danger of free speech when uncritically exercised by
those whose moral sensibilities have been erased by political indignation.
The threads of our democratic civilization are fine, tangled and elusive. This scrambled skein produces
contradictions, ambivalent drives and interests. Clearly an educated citizenry is a necessary condition for
democracy, but we are often afraid of controversial ideas and reluctant to pay the cost of serious education.
This is one of the unacknowledged weaknesses of our democracy. Fear of truth and reality, and the passion
for entertainment, as well as our confusion of money and size with progress tangle the threads of democracy.
We do know that lust for money is corrupting. Whether Paul or Timothy wrote the Pastoral Letters -- and this
is an uncertainty Biblical scholars must settle -- they yield brilliant flashes of wisdom. When the author
cautions us that "the love of money is the root of all evil" supporters of democracy should stand on guard.
Money often buys the executive branch of government, frequently controls the legislative branch, and on
occasion defiles the judicial branch. If this is true then our democracy is in more peril than is generally
acknowledged, for we seem to be sliding into an out-and-out plutocracy with scarcely a whimper of protest.
The threads of democracy are strong -- but only up to a point; and the human personality is strong -- but only
up to a point. We should remember the insanity of the French Reign of Terror, the brutality of the Russian
Revolution and the murderous repression of the Chinese Revolution. These people are our brothers and sisters
-- and we are of the same clay as they.
Lloyd Williams is a retired educator. His column runs every other Saturday in The Transcript.

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