US Democracy and Rhetoric
US Democracy and Rhetoric
I consider myself a cynical optimist in everyday life. I do not play make-believe and put on my best Diogenes impersonation – going out with a lantern in search for an honest man. There are a large number of sincere loving human beings in the world. When it comes to American politics however, it is impossible for me not to be a cynical pessimist, because as Sophocles once said, “Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.” The trust for me died long ago and the mistrust continues to build. Thomas Paine said “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” It is true that rhetorical practices and democratic forms of government tend to flourish together. The present state of rhetoric and democracy in American culture is fuzzy. I believe rhetoric is alive and well but democracy is a bit cloudy. Democracy, as I know it, is a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting and everyone is treated equal. There are no class distinctions or special privileges. I just do not see any such system in place.
Corporations have special privileges and there are real social structures. Certainly not every person in the United States is treated equally and as for the right to vote, Winston Churchill once said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” In July, President Jimmy Carter said “America has no functioning democracy” at a meeting of The Atlantic Bridge in Atlanta. This was a couple months after the NSA revelations were brought to light by Edward Snowden. Noam Chomsky has said “In the US, there is basically one party – the business party. It has two factions, called Democrats and Republicans, which are somewhat different but carry out variations on the same policies. By and large, I am opposed to those policies. As is most of the population.” Taking a rhetorical criticism class in addition to rhetorical theory, I have learned both
I consider myself a cynical optimist in everyday life. I do not play make-believe and put on my best Diogenes impersonation – going out with a lantern in search for an honest man. There are a large number of sincere loving human beings in the world. When it comes to American politics however, it is impossible for me not to be a cynical pessimist, because as Sophocles once said, “Trust dies but mistrust blossoms.” The trust for me died long ago and the mistrust continues to build. Thomas Paine said “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” It is true that rhetorical practices and democratic forms of government tend to flourish together. The present state of rhetoric and democracy in American culture is fuzzy. I believe rhetoric is alive and well but democracy is a bit cloudy. Democracy, as I know it, is a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting and everyone is treated equal. There are no class distinctions or special privileges. I just do not see any such system in place.
Corporations have special privileges and there are real social structures. Certainly not every person in the United States is treated equally and as for the right to vote, Winston Churchill once said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” In July, President Jimmy Carter said “America has no functioning democracy” at a meeting of The Atlantic Bridge in Atlanta. This was a couple months after the NSA revelations were brought to light by Edward Snowden. Noam Chomsky has said “In the US, there is basically one party – the business party. It has two factions, called Democrats and Republicans, which are somewhat different but carry out variations on the same policies. By and large, I am opposed to those policies. As is most of the population.” Taking a rhetorical criticism class in addition to rhetorical theory, I have learned both