Democracy And Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery Analysis

In his crafty article “Wo(e)begon(e) Democracy,” Michael Lienesch details his argument against John Mueller’s “Democracy and Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery,” which provides the reader with Lienesch’s arguments against Mueller’s view on democratic governments, and also the importance of citizenship in democratic governments. Mueller’s views on democratic governments touch more on the philosophical side, seeing democracy as a simple form of government, also believing that democracy requires citizens to be perpetually self-sacrificing. Lienesch’s argument begins with him criticizing Mueller for only seeing the democratic system from a philosophical point of view, detailing that he should see things from a political point of view. When answering Mueller’s argument that democracies require citizens to be self-sacrificing, Lienesch explains that a democracy does have costs, and citizens have to pay for them. (Lienesch, 1012) …show more content…
(Lienesch, 1009) Lienesch believes that it is the shared goals and common purposes of citizens that make the democratic theory work. A democratic government, one could say, is made up of the shared goals and common purposes of citizens: seeing as the main purpose of putting the power in the hands of the many is for the many to be able to come together on common grounds to agree. The author also explains that citizenship in democratic societies is not as simple as Mueller makes it out to be. On the idea of citizens having to be perpetually self-sacrificing that Mueller offers, Lienesch discredits this on the basis of rights and responsibilities in which citizens are both self-interested and public regarding. Aristotle described a citizen as someone who can rule and be ruled, and is able to play both parts well. (Lienesch,