Electorate Promotes Democracy

Improved Essays
The future of our nation and our democracy depends upon the next generation of electorates. In the ABC documentary An Uneducated Electorate Promotes Democracy's Demise by John Stossel, Richard Dreyfus discusses how uninformed, apathetic, and uninterested electorates will ultimately lead to the demise of the United States’ form of democracy. Moreover, the fault also lies in current cable shows that misinform the majority of impressionable and easily manipulated electorates. As the foundation of our government lies within the citizens, an incognizant electorate will jeopardize and threaten our democracy. Education plays a part in the foundation of democracy. According the Dreyfus citizens must “relearn the tools of reason, logic, clarity, dissent, civility, and debate” as “those things are the non-partisan basis of democracy.” Moreover, as stated in the video, the next generation of voters are not born with “the expertise needed to understand western enlightenment and civil liberties.” Therefore as a nation, it is crucial that the next electorates are taught about “ideas that make America a miracle in government.” It is vital that electorates are educated on all aspects of politics in order to cast a vote based upon their own thoughts and preferences, and not based off of propaganda and ideas from the public. Having knowledge on politics and the government in general will allow one to not be easily persuaded by the false and misinterpreted information put out by others. In the event of an election, electorates need to cast a vote on a candidate that mirrors and reflects their ideas and morals and not on someone who was chosen by close friends or relatives. An educated generation of electorates will help strengthen the foundation of our democracy and help in building a government that represents the valid and shared ideas of its nation and its people. It is safe …show more content…
In this day in age, politics is not prioritized by the majority of Americans. Many do not know how many senators there are per state, how many states there are in the United States of America, what is Roe V Wade, and can not recognize important figures in our government, as shown in the ABC news story on uninformed voters. The root of this issue is based on the fact that although there are many and various ways of obtaining information about the government and its functions, many do not care to seek it. As stated in the video, in the practice of democracy, citizens are “personally responsible” for their government. With lack of support and participation, people are willing to be controlled and be told what to do instead of figuring it out for themselves. Lack of motivation to learn about politics can lead to voters following the ideas and beliefs of the majority, which in essence, endangers our democracy as the government by the people will no longer hold true to that …show more content…
With propaganda constantly being publicized, it becomes easy for the average voter to become persuaded and swayed. Checking the source and reliability of media is important. However, many are willing to blindly follow what is publicized without knowing the validity of it which therefore can ultimately lead to widespread hysteria based on a possible fallacy. In time of disruption, it becomes easy for one to become vulnerable to propaganda. Ultimately, with lack of political knowledge and lack of motivation to be active in politics, it makes it easier for cable news shows to influence a potential electorate’s thoughts and beliefs which in turn plays a role as they cast their

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