We the People: An Introduction to American Politics - Essay Example

Democracy for the few Outline …………………………………………………………………………………………3 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..3 Mass media in America…………………………………………………………………………...3 Plutocratic rule…………………………………………………………………………………….4 Social stratification……………………………………………………………………………..…5 Unfair government………………………………………………………………………………...6 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...…7 Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………….8 Democracy for the few Abstract The American mass media benefits many but ironically, only few wealthy people own it. These ties affect coverage of news. They engage themselves in what they refer to as campaign contributions and operate against the interest of the American people in some ways. These tendencies have in turn corrupted American politics. In addition, they are the biggest beneficiary in the corruption game since they do not depict seriousness in calling for political reforms. This is because the corporations themselves demand the same treatment and have the same quest to develop and grow without difficulty just as other firms (Parenti 14). Democracy in America is for the few wealthy individuals at the expense of the majority citizens. Introduction There has been public outcry about discrimination in the mass media although to some extent, controversial issues surround the nature of segregation. Both the conservatives and the liberals are not pleased with the behavior of the mass media. Conservatives argue that the mass media show liberal discrimination. On the other hand, the liberals argue that the mass media show a Plutocratic segregation in their coverage. However, such allegations are simplistic and faulty analysis of American economic, social, and political realm (Parenti 36). The mass media like other firms in America is determined to progress the interests of the rich people at the expense of the values, ideals and interest of the majority citizens. According to Dionne (15), this shows how the American political system is divided. Mass media in America Media pseudo liberalism in America shows the gap that exists between the wealthy and the poor. This is because they believe they are in the business to make profits using all means despite criticism from the public. This liberalism progresses the firm profit agenda whereby managers of these firms feel no ethical qualm. For a long time, the media has been consistent in its dealing with economic and political conservatism. It is true that at some point, the media attacks firms but surprisingly, how they do it is not as hard as expected from the public (Schmitter 59-60). There is need for mass media reforms where media corporations are barred from financing elections, and instead the issue of election funding be bestowed upon the public. However, this reform is not easy because mass media gets a lot of money from political advertisements, which motivate them to continue with their behavior (Dionne 66). Former managers of voice of America manage the public television and radio stations whose role was to propagate the interest of the public. This clearly portrays the increasing trends of media commercialism even at the State corporations. In sum, it can be stated that the mass media that is corrupted reveals presence of plutocracy, which is the rule of the rich whereby they put their personal interests over the interests of the public (Parenti 59-62). Plutocratic rule Plutocratic rule is spread by the wealthy such as the media, philanthropic organizations, the clergy, and commerce and industry sectors. They preach false message that capitalism creates democracy by arguing that democratic societies are prosperous because there is equality. Contrary to their sentiments, in democratic society, people own what they can afford and the aftermath is growing bias between the rich and the poor, and the government that is not concerned about the needs of its people (Ginsberg et al 47). In American society, a few wealthy people endorse the existing social order because they want to make American voters believe that the existing social is good for them. Those in government argue that when third parties are excluded from the government business, the system performs better. The political system of America lacks morals. This is because the nature of political institution in America is capitalistic and dictates who wants what, how, when and why (Wasserman 44). Social stratification The wealthy belong to the upper class while the middle class has been relegated to the lower class. This clearly indicates how stratified the American society is. In contemporary America, good and valuable things exist for a few individuals at the expense of the majority (Ginsberg et al 101). The founding fathers of America fought for an egalitarian society but during the drafting of the constitution, they put their interest first and in some way, democracy for majority was not discussed. In subsequent years, they included the bill of rights in the constitution, which gave American citizens freedoms of religion, guard from seizures and searches, and many more. However, the notion of bill of rights had been declined earlier although they managed to include it in the constitution after comprise (Johnson 59). According to Johnson (63), the constitution did not portray a democratic picture to the public who were not present when it was drafted. Subsequent governments tempered with it as a few individuals intentionally deleted important clauses in an attempt to resist public pressure and guard the emerging wealthy individuals. The rich people were bestowed with the freedom to do businesses and make profits in the same manner in which things happen today. Politicians, businesspersons, and Supreme Court judges run the country the way they want. According to Parenti (99), since the start of the American government, it has focused on propagating the interests of the privileged few at the expense of the majority. The American society is stratified in that we have the working class and the owners with the workers given less reward than what they make. Firms or corporations intentionally exploit the workforce and make supernormal profits while the workers suffer. Public corporations exploit the resources of the citizens by utilizing the stakeholder’s equity and looking for new market ventures, and boosting profits and sales (Stuntz 81). The wealthy individuals in society manage and operate these corporations. For example, they own the country’s riches in form of natural resources, land, bonds, assets, and stocks. Contrary, over 85% of the American populations have little to show. For instance, they are unable to service their mortgage and debts. This shows inequality exists in American society (O’Donnell 56). Unfair US government The American government is not fair in many ways. For instance, the taxing process favors the haves in the sense that the government taxes more on the poor to subsidize the haves. This behavior has existed since the Second World War when the United States of America emerged as a world power (Soifer and Hoffman 70). Today, big companies get large sums of money in handouts that the citizens pay for. This is seen in the form of free utilization of the media, enormous subsidies, taxes and many more. This system is designed in a manner that the costs are socialized while profits are privatized in huge relocation of income from the majority workforce to the wealthy corporate (Soifer and Hoffman 72-73). Access to social amenities such as food and health care in America is very expensive, because the wealthy have been driven by greed to make concession on some important issues such as drug treatment, remedial education, student loans, child nutrition, school feeding programs, and food stamps (Chomsky 39-40). The aftermath of these decisions is homelessness, untreated diseases, hunger, and isolation. Majority of Americans are not in a position to access health care services because the affluent have privatized everything including the social security program. In America, the law seems to favor the rich. Crime suites in the American society are common because the law has been designed to work in favor of the affluent (Stuntz 41-12) Conclusion By reading the book, We the people: an introduction to American politics, it is easy to understand the nature of American political system. People should engage in politics in order to influence the activities of the government. Therefore, in order to ensure equality in the American society, the citizens have to confront the oppression they face by voting out governments that do not care about them. Democracy in America is capitalistic in nature because it favors the rich at the expense of the poor majority. Works Cited Dionne, E J. Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent. New York: Bloomsbury, May 2012. Print. Chomsky, Noam. Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy. New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2007. Print. Ginsberg, Benjamin, Theodore J. Lowi, Weir, Margaret, and Spitzer, Robert J. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. Print. Johnson, Allen. Stephen A. Douglas; a study in American politics. New York: Nabu Press, 2010. Print. O’Donnell, Guillermo. Delegative Democracy. Journal of Democracy, 5.1 (1994): 55-69. Print. Parenti, Michael. Democracy for the Few, 9th Edition. New York: Wadsworth, 2010. Print. Soifer, Paul and Hoffman, Abraham. American Government. Boston: Cliffs Notes, 2001. Print. Stuntz, William. The Collapse of American Criminal Justice. Harvard: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011. Print. Schmitter, Philippe. Dangers and Dilemmas of Democracy. Journal of democracy 5.2 (1994): 57-74. Print. Wasserman, Gary. The Basics of American Politics, 14th Edition. New York: Pearson, 2010. Print. Read More