Piven’s assessment of the effectiveness of the American system of democratic representation, is best explained through her theory that it is not until people step out of the norms of society and politics; that they realize the power that they have in the democratic system of representation; or, more realistically, the power that they don’t have. (5) The government and the media put out the idea that we live in a world where the vote is the power, and if you vote, you have the power to change things. And if you view this idea very close-mindedly, the system of democratic representation is a spectacular one. But this world cannot be looked at through foggy glasses and this system is not, by any means, a perfect one.
Most people associate democracy with electoral participation, meaning many Americans have a deep belief that the people of this country rule by participating in elections. Throughout history, people around the world have risked their lives believing in this idea. And who could blame them? This idea tells people that those in power over their country require the approval, or vote, of everyday people. We believe that we have a say in who runs our country so therefore we have a say in policies about war or peace, economic development, medical care, pension and welfare, etc.; all of these things we presume are based on the approval of voters who decide who will take offices of state and national authority.
In other words, democracy relies on the existence of the arrangements of electoral representatives. If the citizens of the United States have the right to vote in elections for policies and people in office, then those elected officials are supposed to take the wants and needs of those people into consideration. (2)
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..., be gunned down. And this threat also frightens many people into giving up and just dealing with what they have.
The more positive theory is that these disruptions diminish when the protestors are victorious or when they achieve some part of their grievances that they were “fighting” for. In most cases, concessions were made to the movements and their causes but the awarded policies or changes are almost always less than what the protestors initially wanted. They are usually settling for whatever the company or government will give them to get rid of the disruption because they know that they need to go back to their jobs and be able to support those who depend on them. Sometimes the need for that support is greater than the need for the continuance of disruption.
Works Cited
Challenging Authority- How Ordinary People Change America, Frances Fox Piven
Schiller, W. J., Geer, J. G., & Segal, J. A. (2013). Gateways to democracy: introduction to American government, the essentials. (2nd ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth ;.
Before that can be established, I think a definition of democracy should be stated so that it may be called upon later in this essay. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, democracy is stated as "the principle of social equality and respect for the individual within a community" .
Janda, K., Berry, J., Golman, J., & Hula, K. (2009). The Challenge of Democracy: American
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There are many themes that occur and can be interpreted differently throughout the novel. The three main themes that stand out most are healing, communication, and relationships.
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