Democracy: Not the Worst, I Guess

Readership is declining. I don’t blame you guys – Churchill’s insightfulness can get old. But this week, hopefully a little bit more of a light hearted quote can kindle at least a little bit of renewed interest.

Government can be such a criticized institution. Every American, let alone citizens of other countries (especially non democratic ones), has complained about some sort of governmental action at one point or another I’m sure. I’ve whined about laws I find trivial or unfair, I’m sure you’ve done at least the same. Some take their disenchantment to a higher level, protesting or petitioning for change. For me, halfhearted complaining has always been my staple level of commitment to change.

Winston Churchill was prime minister of a country that some claim to be democratic but really has a strange blend of pseudo-democracy combined with a system of lordship and Unitarianism under a constitutional monarchy. A lot of jargon, but necessary to simulate the complicated political structure of Great Britain. Even in this hazy political situation, only more distressed during the World War era that Churchill presided over, he found it appropriate to point out that “Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”.

I identify wholeheartedly with this quotation. Government can be so alienating and ineffective in some contexts, but democracy is one of the least of these evils. While my political participation in incredibly lackluster, I do see the value in democracy. By inserting public opinion into the political process, countries can mitigate the resounding negative perceptions of government institutions by utilizing the public’s own responsibility for the matter.

Considering the quotation itself, Churchill again harps on two clauses: first that democracy is a terrible form of government, and second that it is better than the other options. I’ve tried to showcase in some manner my own negative opinions about democracy. More objectively, it is slow, inefficient, and sometimes costly. One chief concern expressed by the founding fathers about democracy was that it in no way insulated the political process from the whim of the common man. Another Churchill quote claims that “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter”, demonstrating the same lack of faith in the general voting population. Representative democracy does away with some of these flaws, but still creates a stratified system that depends on heavily on polarized parties and can misrepresent the true public opinion.

Courtesy of Kirk Walters

As far as comparing it to other political structures, democracy has for over two centuries stood as an idealized governmental structure, at least in many developed countries of the world. While certain nations globally stick to say monarchism or communism, the United States in particular espouses that democracy is by far superior. I think it would be ethnocentric to simply conclude this based on my own citizenship here in the US, but I think the value in a democracy (including representation, transparency, freedoms, liberty, and protection of rights) is much more than other political systems. I’ll leave that for you to decide on for yourself.