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Critical Essay

~The Problem with American Democracy is not too Little Democracy, but too much. Discuss ~

American democracy is "power of, by, and for the people." It is, as Slavoj Zizek so eloquently puts, "the will and interests of the majority that determine state decisions" (Zizek, 2003). The problem with American democracy is not that there is too little democracy, but that there is too much. Alexander Hamilton tried to make sure there wasn't too much when he advocated for the Electoral College. All through history, even before America, political minds have warned against too much democracy. Tyranny by majority, the uninformed, the undecided; they all contribute to too much democracy.
One of the greatest problems America faces is the uninformed voter. Jonah Goldberg wrote an article in which he said, "The ignorance of the typical American when it comes to politics is often staggering." He does not mince his words in saying that he believes that normal people of society are not fit in knowledge to the extent of making a just decision of who should act as President. He is not the first to believe this however. The notion that society must be protected from itself when it comes to electing officials goes back to Ancient Greece.
Plato's Republic is widely regarded as a masterpiece of social and political philosophies. He believed that all men were not created equal, but not in the physical sense that history has shown. He meant intellectually. When referring to democracy, he looks upon it as something that would result in tyranny and chaos. "Tyranny by the poor," is why he believed that an aristocracy would be a better ruling tool than a democracy (Plato, B.C.). He criticized democracy as a way for which anarchy to breed and that political equality, as it partially exists now, inevitably leads to democracy. Although I object to the idea that I am not equal to some others, Plato is right in saying that the average citizen should not be trusted with the...