The Pros And Cons Of American Democracy

The United States of America has been built upon democratic ideals, and is the oldest democracy in the world. However, this does not mean American democracy, or any democracy, is without fault. The fundamental principle of democracy is universalism, it is meant to be inclusive and available to all groups of people. This means that in its truest form, democracy says race shouldn’t be a dividing factor of the system, yet it is apparent that it is. America prides itself on being a “melting pot” of cultures, with this comes a vast variety of identities, making it difficult to unite everyone under a common political system. Boundaries of identities get in the way of universal democracy, because racial and cultural identity can be both divisive and

In American democracy black politics has been given no real place, it is continuously being viewed as outlaw and fugitive. When people of color lose elections their lives can be put at steak, and the othering of black politics has made it even more difficult to stand up for the rights of oppressed peoples. Current black politics has become criminalized, for example Black Lives Matter protests and marches are constantly labeled as “riots”. Meanwhile neo-Nazis can stomp around the streets with torches and be referred to as “protestors” and “very fine people” by the current United Sates president. The Black Lives Matter movement does not align with the “sanitized” version of the Civil Rights movement, which in the eyes of white people has become the only acceptable form of black politics (Hooker, BLM & Paradox). The current acts of black politics offend too much, but in a way that is the point. Black people’s job is not to protect white feelings; no matter how much white people think it is. Black politics is how black people are able to express their terror and anger into political statements. It also has the power to radically change the face of American democracy, but white people are too afraid of becoming the