HITS OF DEMOCRACY

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, it's the perfect time to reflect on what has worked. Democracy in the United States and around the world has taken a hit over the last decade. There are many reasons for this. The rise of social media, and the power of smart phones to shape behavior at the individual level are high on the list of culprits.

As a public high school social studies teacher, I always ask my students how one can identify if a particular country is a democracy. The people have the power is the answer I get most often. Or the people vote. There are elections. Sure. Those are part of it. But I try and convey that what is most important is the existence of a loyal opposition. The majority must recognize the losing side's right to exist, and acknowledge the fact that it has a legitimate shot to win the next election. Many fledgling democracies have suffered because in their view – democracy means rule by the majority. Without a loyal opposition, and protections put in place for them, rule by majority often leads to illiberal democracy. A prime example of that would be Hungary.

There are a lot of things wrong with the current state of democracy in the United States. Some of those will be discussed at a future time. But the major goal of this work is to highlight what I call the Hits of Democracy. I picked twelve. They are not absolute, and they are meant to spark debate and discussion.

At its core, democracy is a conversation between groups and individuals from different backgrounds. The United States has been the most successful country in the world for the last one hundred years. For it to continue to be so, there needs to be a starting point to begin our conversation. I hope this website helps provide that starting point.

— A.G. Madison