As I see it, "democracy" is one of those plastic words that can mean just about anything. Etymologically, it's "government by the people." But, that makes about as much sense as that other nettlesome phrase: "the pursuit of happiness." Which people are we talking about; and what kind of happiness?
"Democracy" is a term that can cover a multitude of sins. Our Supreme Court decided that it was okay for our super-wealthy to buy our elections because we have "free speech" in America, and money equals speech (in their gilded ledgers!).
The people in Israel recently decided that they had the right to kill two thousand people in Gaza because Israel was "the only democracy" in the Middle East! Somehow, questions about proportionality, accountability and balance got lost in the rubble. (I direct these proud participants in "democracy" to the ancient words of Solomon: "A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.")
Proportionality! How can we have representative government when our wages and assets are so disproportionate? (Note: Typical US household net worth in 2013 was $56,335. For a white household, it was about double that! For a Black household, about 10% of that! BTW, entry level household wealth for our top 5% is about $2,000,000! For our top 1%, about $6,000,000!) Where's the balance of power? Isn't politics all about power relationships?
We are a world out of balance. "Democracies" are easily overturned by coups and pseudo interpretations of Constitutional laws. Bombs dropped by "democratic" governments' drones, aircraft and guided missiles, are no less deadly--and, generally, much more so than IEDs!
I'm wondering how we get past the jargon, and get to the heart of the matter? More than 200 years of American "democracy" still takes us to the tragedy of Ferguson, Missouri, where a black kid can't walk down the center of a street without getting himself killed in broad daylight!
Suppose the key word was not "democracy," but respect? "Respect," the way Aretha Franklin sang it, loud and clear: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
Respect because we are human creatures who have done great things" and have the potential to do great things.
I wonder: had there been the littlest respect for someone else's child, would the "authorities" have allowed Michael Brown's body to lie in the street for hours, bleeding, with every drop of blood an indictment?
Used to be, respect was a value we inculcated in our schools. It was a moral value, and some fools said morals had to do with religion and religion had no place in our schools. So, we separated Church and State, but also morals and the State.
And now, dear Mother, your coral reefs are dying. We have failed to respect each other--just as we have failed to respect our heritage, our natural wealth. Your beautiful coral necklaces that shimmered beneath the seas, adorned the necks of the continents--dying from our ignorance and neglect, pollution, lack of respect for the varied gifts of life.
Gary Corseri has published novels and poetry collections; his dramas have been produced on PBS-Atlanta and elsewhere, and he has performed his poems at the Carter Presidential Center. He has taught in US prisons and public schools, and at US and Japanese universities, and has worked as an editor in the US and Japan. His work has appeared at Opednews, The New York Times, The Village Voice and hundreds of periodicals and websites worldwide.
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