Diagnosing America's Crisis of Democracy, in 250 words.

Background:

Despite per capita GDP skyrocketing from $5,234 in 1970 to $70,248 by 2021, increasing the standard of living, our historic institution now teeters under public scrutiny. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, in 1964, 77% of Americans “trust(ed) the government to do what is right most / all of the time”; in September 2023, only 16% echoed this sentiment.

In the same time span, the voter turnout percentage has dropped by over 20%. Other forms of civic engagement—writing to lawmakers, volunteering, obtaining a civic education, etc.—follow a similar trend, albeit to an even greater degree; political scientist Robert Putnam calculated that in 2003, engagement in public and civic affairs generally had declined by 40% since the mid-1960s. Couple this with the vast and growing ideological gap between Democrats and Republicans in Congress—one larger than at any other point in the past 50 years—and our democracy appears to be on borrowed time.

And It’s no secret that citizens’ faith in American democracy is waning. Since the 1990s scholars have been publishing studies with titles like Why Americans Hate Politics, The Betrayal of Democracy, Democracy on Trial, Dirty Politics, and Demosclerosis, to name a few.

The imminent failure of American democracy has been a hot topic amongst scholars for decades, but their work fails to resonate with the public. Most citizens simply don’t have the time, willpower, or discipline to peruse such long-winded analyses.

Connection with everyday citizens requires clarity and conciseness, so I’ve distilled today’s crisis of democracy and its main perpetrator—polarization—down to precisely 250 words. That said, by no means does the following address flesh out the issue in its entirety but being a one-minute read, anyone can digest and act upon it…

…Therefore, if I was given a microphone and the attention of the entire country for 1 minute, I’d say the following:

Opinion:

*Taps mic, clears throat, and begins*

Today, the colloquial usage of 'polarization' undermines its gravity. Remember: hyperpolarization’s historical manifestations include the French Revolution, Nazi Germany, and the American Civil War… daunting, huh?

America’s current crisis kindles political violence and government dysfunction, tarnishing faith in our democracy. On January 6, Trump didn’t illegally disseminate ‘rigged election’ claims, yet he weaponized 1st Amendment freedoms to incite violence for personal gain. That ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality dehumanizes political adversaries to justify savagery. A recent Reuters study on American political violence reports over 76 offenses since Jan 6, 2021, including 18 fatalities. One victim died by their neighbor's gun for committing the unimaginable: being a "suspected Democrat."

But government dysfunction trumps violent damages in scope. Take our habitual debt crisis: political vendettas justify playing Russian Roulette with America’s economy to extract policy concessions despite weakening the national credit rating, which discourages foreign investment and increases citizen interest rates. This congressional paralysis—where infighting prevents Congress from serving citizens’ interests—renders our government by and for extremists, not the people.

Pessimistic commentators predict bullets, not ballots, will decide the 2024 election, but it shouldn’t take ‘January 6: Part 2’ to ignite change.

Polarization thwarts compromise in all arenas, making society counter-productive too. Therefore, as a first-step solution, citizens must exhibit empathy, humility, and skepticism to ostracize malicious rhetoric and elect good-faith representatives. Pride in democracy remains Americans’ final common ground, so let’s save it. Now, turn to your neighbor and say, "We’re in this together."

Thank you.