If the majority of the electorate has not already been disillusioned and alienated by the extreme partisanship of politics, the upcoming elections in the United States, the so-called beacon of democracy, will likely push another generation of voters over the precipice into the void of disillusionment, apathy, and abdication of franchise.
The two political extremes have become so tenaciously embraced in a dance of mutually assured self-destruction that their toxic fumes now poison even the most impartial and non-partisan.
Democracy was never a polite process; on the contrary, it is founded on the adversarial contest of competing views, of preferential biases, and the repetitive change of leadership. Whether parliamentary or presidential systems, democracy is founded on contest, and establishing legitimacy and trust. Leaders know that they will be challenged, their policies and values contested, and every decision disputed. And every elected leader knows that her office is temporary and only safe while the electorate wills it so.
Despite the spectacle of campaigns and elections, democracy is intended to reflect responsiveness to the public’s wishes, and the equality of every member of the public to participate in the procedures and conditions that facilitate persuasion, to have one’s pre-formed preferences transformed in the face of a better argument, to set aside ideological obstinance for the pursuit of the better alternative.
This is what is deliberative democracy. The conditions that provide opportunities for interpersonal reasoning as the guiding political procedure, rather than bargaining between competing interests; the idea that the essential political act of giving, weighing, acceptance or rejection of reasons is a public act, as opposed to the purely private act of voting. Democratic deliberation is defined by a desire to secure genuine deliberation such that ‘no force except that of the better argument is exercised’, and wherein participants must meet a set of procedural conditions which minimally include communicative competence, reciprocity, and equality1.
Unfortunately, none of this rings true today. The opportunities for interpersonal reasoning have been severed by ideologies as opposed to reason; the procedural structures have been delegitimized by claims of voter fraud and foreign influence; opinions are imposed by violent confrontations and protests; communicative competence is reduced to extreme rhetoric; reciprocity is denied by the veto of majorities, and equality is only extended as far the kick of the mule or the length of the elephant’s trunk.
The square ring of adversarial politics, despite the spin and search for ‘dirty politics’ had been bounded with the restraints of common decency, procedural justice, structural constraints, and cloak of office. Today’s politics are fought in the octagon; it’s an ultimate fight, with fewer rules, extreme tolerance for damage, and the spectacle of a bare-knuckled caged combat.
It has become difficult to discern spin from fact, reality from fancy, truth from its alternative, and entertainment from governance. The last approximately 1291 days of the reality show that has been American politics, has damaged much more than American politics. It has damaged a world vision, a system fought for without political affiliation and through the cooperation of allies-in-arms against the alternatives of fascism, communism, and tyranny.
The allies who depended on the American ideal and might, are now themselves strengthened, and advanced in their own exemplifications of the values of liberty, freedom, and democracy. They have not been without their own political spectacles, but they have been able to better maintain the commitment and respect for adversarial etiquette. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have not been exempt of political scandals, yet they, like their European counterparts, have been able to maintain the purpose and calling of governance, for the care of their citizens, and for collaboration.
As Canadians, it is inevitable that we are influenced by the spectacle south of the border. We share the longest border in the world, share economic interests, as well as security interests. It is saddening to know that an American is dying every minute as a result of COVID-19, that federal, state, and local leaders appear more concerned with demonstration of political ideologies than saving lives, and worse, that citizens would rather become infected or cause the infection of others than wear a facial covering or socially distance to make a point about their rights. It is almost unbelievable that statements about personal rights have become more important than any obligation to general societal good, even at the prospect of the loss of tens of thousands of lives of fellow citizens.
Perhaps it’s not democracy that has been corrupted, nor the democratic process, but rather the electorate itself; but then again this may be a question of which came first the egg or the chicken? Politics in the United States are a reflection of cultural values, of the type of deliberative politics America now aspires to. It may be easy to be smug given our privilege, our social advantage, and the relative civility of our politics, but we should also be forewarned of the consequences of the political manipulation of the electorate.
Political spin is expedient, it may provide short-term results, get parties elected, but it consumes trust and respect; both being perishable commodities. Trust and respect can only be violated or abused so far before they are no longer available. Societies like ours have invested heavily in time, money, and effort to achieve an educated and informed electorate. This is perhaps the most valuable dividend of a just and egalitarian society.
Political persuasion without constraint amounts to little less than a license for brainwash voters, through sophisticated and manipulative advertising campaigns, false and insincere election platforms, and vitriol attacks on the opposition; all antithetical to the values of just societies. The tactics in the octagon of today’s politics have become dangerously erosive, descending step by step from campaigning to spin, from spin to propaganda, and from propaganda to ideological manipulation. This descent to manipulation cares not for the damage to the institutions of oversight, pedagogy, science, or reason.
It is time that political leaders understand, and are held accountable, for the psychological abuse of citizens, the damage to the societal assets of intellectual, ethical, and moral potential. The quality of life of citizens should include the right not to have one’s faith in social justice and good governance damaged, manipulated, made cynical, and worse abused by fake news, alternative truths, and spin – all of which are the tools of psychological manipulation. The manipulation of the intellectual development and psycho-social health of citizens should be protected as a human right.
Those in power have a social responsibility to advance and protect that which civilization has achieved through centuries of investment – education, intellectual development, science, and reason. It should not be left to the self-interest of politicians to use the machinery of democratic processes or governance to diminish these human investments for the sake of partisan politics; that is just too high a price to pay.
Endnotes:
- Parkinson, John. “Legitimacy Problems in Deliberative Democracy.” POLITICAL STUDIES 51 (2003): Pg.180-181.
Anil Anand is a research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
