The Independent Lens film, Please Vote for Me, is a compelling documentary featuring the third grade class at the Evergreen Primary School, located in the communist country of China. It presents the faculty’s attempt at educating their students about democracy, and as such, we witness three children through their journey of the electoral process for the coveted position of the Class Monitor (Chen, 2007). In general, the version of democracy depicted in the film falls within its minimalist definition
As the times change, so does the latest technology. In the mid-1900's it was the television, before that the radio, and now in the late-20th and 21st century we have the internet. With the coming of every new media outlet audiences and media moguls migrate. Along with the migrations are the politicians who try to use the new form of media to more easily reach the public. It's come to the point where the internet increasingly work with democracy directly; some elections in the United States even going
Opinions about the state of democratic governance in Venezuela during the government of President Hugo Chávez Frías have been polarized. Some critics come close to labeling it a dictatorship while others, his supporters, claim to be restoring a truly democratic regime to Venezuela. Venezuelan society is polarized along political lines and this climate does not help to consolidate liberal democracy. In such a context, it is easy to fall into simplistic, black and white views; however, it is important
Jason Brennan defines democracy as any kind of political system, where the fundamental political power is spread equally among all members of that polity. Brennan suggests Epistocracy is a position that entails that voters (citizens) should be educated and have at minimum some sort of political knowledge. Concerning Brennan's four epistocratic proposals I will discuss, I will argue that universal suffrage with epistocratic veto is what I consider the least objectionable, while restricted suffrage
often fall short, resembling oligarchy more than true democracy. As Bradatan explains, ancient Athens embraced radical democratic principles designed to mitigate human tendencies toward power-seeking and self-assertion. One such principle was **sortition**, the random selection of public officials by lot, which ensured that every citizen had an equal chance of holding power. Unlike modern democracies, where political elites often rise to power through wealth, influence, and connections, the Athenian
civic videotext service. 4. Supplementary institutions, including representative town meetings, office holding by lot, decriminalization, and lay justice 5. A national initiative and referendum process 6. Electronic balloting 7. Election by slot; sortition and rotation 8. Vouchers and the market approach to public choice 9. National citizenship and common action: universal citizen service and related volunteer programs and training and employment opportunities 10. Neighborhood citizenship and common
Compare and contrast monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as forms of government in Ancient Greek city-states. Low population density and the infant state of transportation and communication technologies during the Bronze and Iron ages meant that most settlements in the Mediterranean world lived a semi-hermitic existence, a fact that favored the development and many political and social structures. According to the ancient Greek thought, the Greek colonies were founded by legendary