I don’t recommend spending much time on social media if you care about your own mental health.
If you’re like me, though, and enjoy dipping your toe into the cesspool for a healthy political debate every so often, then it’s only a matter of time before you meet the worst of the bunch:
Trolls.
I ran into one such gem a few days ago while talking about the American form of government. It was enough to remind me of why I started the Dantian Project in the first place-
To find the center in social and political issues.
To that end, I’ve learned that it takes patience and perseverance to fight past the “squall line” of defensive posturing before anything productive takes place.
If you do that throughout the process, then you’ll usually find that the conversation takes a worthwhile turn. The secret is to try to truly understand where the other person is coming from.
That being the case, I used all the tricks I know…
I said, “I get what you’re saying…” and “I think we’re both coming from the same place, but just going different directions with it.”
Try as I might, however, this unicorn of the underworld would not bend- not even an inch.
Instead, they only kept on with their personal attacks:
The crazy thing about the whole episode was that I didn’t even know I was touching a nerve! Evidently, this is a major sticking point for quite a few people, though:
What form of government does the United States have?
See, I made the (apparently) egregious mistake of saying that the good old’ U.S. of A. is a Representative Democracy. Luckily, the constitutional scholar I was talking to set me straight by informing me that it’s a Constitutional Republic…
Did you know this was an argument or am I the only one caught off guard?
Anyway, after a few exchanges, I learned that it’s a critical talking point for election deniers. Conveniently, it also fits directly into the theme of our last few discussions. That being the case, I felt compelled to dive in for a closer examination…
Now, the main crux of the argument is that democracies make decisions via majority rule, while a republic strives to protect individual freedoms.
Republicans argue that the word “democracy” isn’t found anywhere in the Constitution, while Democrats insist that the very process of voting is inherently democratic.
Republicans claim that since the President is elected via delegates instead of directly by the people, that we are a republic.
Conversely, Democrats point out that we vote our representatives into office, a well as a multitude of other ballot initiatives. Certainly that must mean we’re a democracy.
Are you dizzy yet?
I certainly was!
After the dust settled, though, I came to the conclusion that both sides are right.
You see, according to Dictionary.com, a “republic” is: a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.
The same source defines the word “democracy” as: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t those the same thing?
More icing can be found for our cake at Thesaurus.com, where “republic” and “democracy” are listed as synonyms for each other…
So, why the belligerence?
Some will say that being a republic is what gives delegates the right to vote against the popular vote.
But, in my mind, the real argument boils down to the difference between individual rights and those of the state.
I say that because America is fundamentally a balance between the two…
On one hand, the Bill of Rights protects individual freedoms from the tyranny of the majority.
Meanwhile, the Constitution establishes a strong federal government and lays the groundwork for how it operates. Interestingly, the word “vote” appears in it close to 40 times.
Day to day life in the U.S. is where the gray area between individual and state powers comes into focus.
Where do my rights end and yours begin? Where does the government cede power to the individual and at what point does the individual yield to the majority?
These are the very questions we try to answer in the Judiciary, as well as conversations like this!
Take rural and sparsely populated communities, as an example… In those places, there’s a much higher premium placed on self-governance.
It isn’t hard to imagine why: Folks in those areas generally live a lot further apart from each.
That means they’re usually free to express their own individual rights without harming anyone else. Thus, these communities typically vote Republican, as any electoral map will prove.
On the flip side, densely populated areas tend to vote Democratic.
In cities, people are generally more willing to sacrifice their own individual freedoms in exchange for the “greater good”.
Since everyone has to live in much closer proximity to one another, there’s more of an interest in preventing conflict.
The bottom line is that problems in rural America are far different than problems in cities.
Indeed, the difference causes a lot of strife… Nobody wants to be told how to live- least of all by someone who doesn’t understand their way of life.
What do you think, though?
Is there a better way to draw the line between the rights of an individual and the state? Does the Electoral College give delegates the right to vote contrary to the public? Can you think of any other reasons someone would claim the U.S. is strictly a democracy or a republic?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Feel free to leave your comments below and be sure to subscribe for weekly updates if you appreciate conversations like this :)
The more people who join in the discussion, the stronger we all become.
Leave a comment