The “Democracy Attitude”: What America Is All About
If one word captures the essence of the American experience and the heritage of our past, it is democracy. All of us know from our grade school lessons that a quick definition of this word is: government by the people, rather than rule by a king.
But the wonder of the word, as Alexis deTocqueville once noted, lies in its effectiveness, or lack thereof. Laws in America, he said, “are almost always defective or unseasonable.” But, “the great privilege of the Americans is to be able to make retrievable mistakes.” This French admirer/critic, judged our system as frustratingly inefficient; yet as a free people, he witnessed, we are energetically resolute. We typically are entrepreneurs chasing the next opportunity, optimistic about enjoying the fortunes of our land and the genius of our people. But with less interest in pausing to catch our breath, we count on the details taking care of themselves. When our lives get too complicated, we move and start over. Or if there is a threat from outside, our military leaders (Washington, Grant, Eisenhower) and our technology (the atomic bomb), along with the aroused spirit of the people have prevailed (until recently).
Actually, more than we might admit, luck has carried us through much of our 231 independent years. We have had space, abundant natural resources, virtuous ancestors, geographical isolation. Until mid-20th century we have not had to take stock of the inefficient and immature part of our democratic practices. We have long enjoyed freedom of action for our vaunted individualism, and in times of crisis charismatic leaders have stepped forward to channel the energies and will of the people. Meanwhile we have prospered and preached our principles abroad.
We have lived in the family of humanity as the charmed “golden boy” among nations. But have reached the age of accountability. With Vietnam, and now Iraq, our antics are no longer “cute.” My intent is not to thrash our record, but to call attention to what America is really about, so that we might identify the power within our heritage to fight our foes more effectively and honorably than with the self-destructive forces of primal intimidation.
Today the threat of terrorism is serious. The attack on the World Trade Towers in 2001 was of crisis magnitude. But with Tocqueville’s characterization of us in mind, as a people we aroused ourselves and urged the President to respond to the threat, by going after the known perpetrator harbored by the Afghanistan regime. We quelled (temporarily) the Afghanistan intransigence, and the Al Qaeda organization has held back from a repeat attack on our cities.
Our Executive leader, announced that his response to the 9/11 attack would define his administration, but in his restricted understanding of what America is about, he envisioned himself as the man of the hour who would play the role of our past wartime Presidents. Mr. Bush thinks our strength as a country rests on military heroism. He is unaware that our expanse of power rests on a broader base of qualities enwrapped in our democratic republic. Militarism is a hangover from the ancient Greek heritage that held the highest virtue to be courage, displayed most magnificently by a warrior in combat. We should know by now that militarism unleashed is destructive of culture, morality and ultimately, with today’s technological force, humanity itself.
What is enduring and constructive from the Greek record is the “democracy attitude.” In the 3000-year run-up to the United States’ embodiment of democracy in our Constitution and its “idea,” the concept of democracy has blossomed on the stem. It is more than a political form; it is an attitude of respect and relationship. Behind the matinee of politics, Americans have been busy hustling, striving, risking, cooperating, as we dared much, prayed much, suffered, and played together, enjoying the vigor of accomplishment and mutual encouragement. Democracy has given us the true courage and confidence that translates into an indomitable power that leads by honoring each other’s gifts and creativity, spun together into the bright fabric of triumph over the gray, tragic and pitiable manipulations of warring contenders.
Listening to the current President’s tiresome talk about fear (the theme of more than ½ of his latest State of the Union Address) is an example of someone who “doesn’t get it,” despite being born and raised in America. To Mr. Bush, strong means forceful--the visceral and empty talk of adolescence. Democracy in its mature form means unparalleled power resident in citizen numbers far larger than any army will ever muster, power capable of exerting a rush of influence in every aspect of political, economic, moral, and cultural activities of living together, once recognized and aroused. Bush has no idea of how much power is available to him if only he were better tutored.
If the existence of our nation is at stake, let us reach for our weapons of true strength, the overwhelming weapons of genuine virtue, and the positive character traits that have given us our national prosperity. Terrorism is a demanding problem masquerading as a threat. But if we want to talk about the endurance of our democratic experiment and the existence of the American civilization, the real threat is much more complicated than profiling, stereotyping, lists of most-wanteds, secrecy, and torturing, . Why let the terrorists choose our weapons for us? If they knew anything about real power, they wouldn’t need to be terrorists.
Those who counsel war are supreme pessimists. They pronounce their superiority; they bluster; their confidence is practiced. The truly confident do not need to pronounce and cheerlead. The confident don’t need war victories in order to be dominant. Those who know the source of power simply hold true to their greatness and let it work for them. This is not inaction, it is wisdom applied to the base, not the surface of the problem. Real optimism, the optimism potent in democracy, doesn’t worry; it studies, plans and draws on collective wisdom and unity of spirit.
Pessimism, by contrast, is always under threat, and tends to act on impulse and out of desperation--which is what one does when there is only one arrow in the quiver.
Terrorists are a real concern, but they are wanna-be’s. They have no program, they have no morality, they have no integrity, no nation. We ought to be wisely wary, but there is no need to get the shakes and desperately shoot ourselves in the foot.
The real threat is not from the terrorists. The real threat is that we will forget who we are --the enlightened progeny of those birthed in democracy. Why put our heritage at risk, just to play cops and robbers as children holding real guns. Why chip away at our inheritance. Why use Constitutional planks for kindling a fire when the only chill is from ignorance of our own robust heritage. It is time to put the games and mistakes of our immature past aside, and become the real leaders of the democracy attitude on the international stage. The real heroes are those who have the courage to grow up. There are other pressing “threats” than terrorism to be dealing with.
At this Thanksgiving season, let us bask in the serendipity of the “democracy attitude” and be thankful that we have more promising options than war.
Doug Good
But the wonder of the word, as Alexis deTocqueville once noted, lies in its effectiveness, or lack thereof. Laws in America, he said, “are almost always defective or unseasonable.” But, “the great privilege of the Americans is to be able to make retrievable mistakes.” This French admirer/critic, judged our system as frustratingly inefficient; yet as a free people, he witnessed, we are energetically resolute. We typically are entrepreneurs chasing the next opportunity, optimistic about enjoying the fortunes of our land and the genius of our people. But with less interest in pausing to catch our breath, we count on the details taking care of themselves. When our lives get too complicated, we move and start over. Or if there is a threat from outside, our military leaders (Washington, Grant, Eisenhower) and our technology (the atomic bomb), along with the aroused spirit of the people have prevailed (until recently).
Actually, more than we might admit, luck has carried us through much of our 231 independent years. We have had space, abundant natural resources, virtuous ancestors, geographical isolation. Until mid-20th century we have not had to take stock of the inefficient and immature part of our democratic practices. We have long enjoyed freedom of action for our vaunted individualism, and in times of crisis charismatic leaders have stepped forward to channel the energies and will of the people. Meanwhile we have prospered and preached our principles abroad.
We have lived in the family of humanity as the charmed “golden boy” among nations. But have reached the age of accountability. With Vietnam, and now Iraq, our antics are no longer “cute.” My intent is not to thrash our record, but to call attention to what America is really about, so that we might identify the power within our heritage to fight our foes more effectively and honorably than with the self-destructive forces of primal intimidation.
Today the threat of terrorism is serious. The attack on the World Trade Towers in 2001 was of crisis magnitude. But with Tocqueville’s characterization of us in mind, as a people we aroused ourselves and urged the President to respond to the threat, by going after the known perpetrator harbored by the Afghanistan regime. We quelled (temporarily) the Afghanistan intransigence, and the Al Qaeda organization has held back from a repeat attack on our cities.
Our Executive leader, announced that his response to the 9/11 attack would define his administration, but in his restricted understanding of what America is about, he envisioned himself as the man of the hour who would play the role of our past wartime Presidents. Mr. Bush thinks our strength as a country rests on military heroism. He is unaware that our expanse of power rests on a broader base of qualities enwrapped in our democratic republic. Militarism is a hangover from the ancient Greek heritage that held the highest virtue to be courage, displayed most magnificently by a warrior in combat. We should know by now that militarism unleashed is destructive of culture, morality and ultimately, with today’s technological force, humanity itself.
What is enduring and constructive from the Greek record is the “democracy attitude.” In the 3000-year run-up to the United States’ embodiment of democracy in our Constitution and its “idea,” the concept of democracy has blossomed on the stem. It is more than a political form; it is an attitude of respect and relationship. Behind the matinee of politics, Americans have been busy hustling, striving, risking, cooperating, as we dared much, prayed much, suffered, and played together, enjoying the vigor of accomplishment and mutual encouragement. Democracy has given us the true courage and confidence that translates into an indomitable power that leads by honoring each other’s gifts and creativity, spun together into the bright fabric of triumph over the gray, tragic and pitiable manipulations of warring contenders.
Listening to the current President’s tiresome talk about fear (the theme of more than ½ of his latest State of the Union Address) is an example of someone who “doesn’t get it,” despite being born and raised in America. To Mr. Bush, strong means forceful--the visceral and empty talk of adolescence. Democracy in its mature form means unparalleled power resident in citizen numbers far larger than any army will ever muster, power capable of exerting a rush of influence in every aspect of political, economic, moral, and cultural activities of living together, once recognized and aroused. Bush has no idea of how much power is available to him if only he were better tutored.
If the existence of our nation is at stake, let us reach for our weapons of true strength, the overwhelming weapons of genuine virtue, and the positive character traits that have given us our national prosperity. Terrorism is a demanding problem masquerading as a threat. But if we want to talk about the endurance of our democratic experiment and the existence of the American civilization, the real threat is much more complicated than profiling, stereotyping, lists of most-wanteds, secrecy, and torturing, . Why let the terrorists choose our weapons for us? If they knew anything about real power, they wouldn’t need to be terrorists.
Those who counsel war are supreme pessimists. They pronounce their superiority; they bluster; their confidence is practiced. The truly confident do not need to pronounce and cheerlead. The confident don’t need war victories in order to be dominant. Those who know the source of power simply hold true to their greatness and let it work for them. This is not inaction, it is wisdom applied to the base, not the surface of the problem. Real optimism, the optimism potent in democracy, doesn’t worry; it studies, plans and draws on collective wisdom and unity of spirit.
Pessimism, by contrast, is always under threat, and tends to act on impulse and out of desperation--which is what one does when there is only one arrow in the quiver.
Terrorists are a real concern, but they are wanna-be’s. They have no program, they have no morality, they have no integrity, no nation. We ought to be wisely wary, but there is no need to get the shakes and desperately shoot ourselves in the foot.
The real threat is not from the terrorists. The real threat is that we will forget who we are --the enlightened progeny of those birthed in democracy. Why put our heritage at risk, just to play cops and robbers as children holding real guns. Why chip away at our inheritance. Why use Constitutional planks for kindling a fire when the only chill is from ignorance of our own robust heritage. It is time to put the games and mistakes of our immature past aside, and become the real leaders of the democracy attitude on the international stage. The real heroes are those who have the courage to grow up. There are other pressing “threats” than terrorism to be dealing with.
At this Thanksgiving season, let us bask in the serendipity of the “democracy attitude” and be thankful that we have more promising options than war.
Doug Good
Labels: 9/11, Alexis deTocqueville, America, Democracy, Fear, George W. Bush, State of the Union 2007, Terrorism, War on Terror
posted by Doug at
3:22 PM
2 Comments:
I agree with the basic sentiment that the strength of democracy should be our most potent weapon against the enemy who is hiding behind the use of immoral tactics to get their way. My overall sense of the mind of the writer of this article is that fighting back with military weapons is ineffective and goes against what we really are - a democratic society. If I understand him correctly the mode of fighting back at someone who attacks is archaic. To fight back is emulating the Greeks, he says, who thought that it was heroic and manly and courageous. And this is portrayed as being destructive to culture and to morality and to humanity. This hangover needs to be eliminated from our thnking as a democratic society.
In its idealistic form I might agree with the writer but life has never been so simple. Does the writer not remember having to survive on the playground back in Junior High? Idealism is one thing; survival is another. To have a reasonable discussion with a bully never proved very effective. Ideally I should have been able to withstand his taunting by my resolve to refrain from fighting. Besides, he was going to beat me up if I fought since he was bigger and more efficient with his weapons. Surely my moral superiority should be able to win him over, shouldn't it? If I could just stay standing long enough to explain things to him maybe I could get a teacher to show up to help me in my explanation. It never worked out this way. I either had to run real fast to get away or fight back. Which showed more courage? Which was the better approach?
I would interject in this discussion of the Democratic Attitude that the bully isn't interested in attitude. They only understand power which translates into a military response.
One other thing. I reacted to this statement.
"We quelled (temporarily) the Afghanistan intransigence, and the Al Qaeda organization has held back from a repeat attack on our cities." He then goes on to say that the President fell back on the weak response of using military might to respond. I return to my response that I disagree that the military response is out of reason. The bully only understands one response. You have to fight back eventually - now or later. The bully will never respect an attitude - democratic or undemocratic. Power is the only response he understands. And I strongly disagree that the only reason Al Queda hasn't attacked again in America is because they are simply holding back. No. They understand that we are fighting back and they have been bothered by our use of power against their immorality.
Cliff
By
cliff, At
November 22, 2007 at 1:03 PM
Clifford has a good grip on my blog except for one key point, which I might have made more explicit. He focuses his remarks on the “bully.” In my view the bully’s methods, while damaging, can be deflected with cleverness. I’ll cut my “comment” short here for I feel a “bully blog” emerging from my entrails. Look for my next posting.
One last point, though, on Cliff’s final statement. He says the reason Al-Qaeda has not attacked another American city since 9/11 is because they are “bothered” by our use of power. In my mind this is self-congratulatory posing. Why would they attack us here again when they so easily tweaked us into ferrying hundreds of thousands of Americans to Iraq where they could knock us off one or three at a time with hand made explosives, to the current sum of nearly 4000 dead, not to mention the maimed; and we are paying the hundreds of billions of dollars without them even invoicing us. I hate being a sucker.
By
Doug, At
November 24, 2007 at 11:11 AM
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