This paper draws on Alexis de Tocqueville's foundational work Democracy in America to critically examine the behavior of the U.S. government in the post-9/11 era. The paper argues that Tocqueville's warning — that democratic governments should not assume the responsibility of thinking for their citizens — is directly relevant to Bush administration policies targeting Muslim communities, manipulating media narratives, and building public support for military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using references to the First Amendment, polling data, and scholarly commentary, the paper questions whether American democracy still affords its citizens the freedom to think, judge, and decide for themselves.
Tocqueville visited the United States in the early 1800s, and it was then that he wrote his masterpiece, Democracy in America. This book contains details of what the philosopher witnessed during his trip. His views and thoughts were collected to form a theory of politics and art in connection with democracy, presented throughout the work. Tocqueville is thus considered one of the most important authors to have written on the democratic system of the United States in philosophical terms. His book is similar in nature and style to the ancient philosophical works of Plato and Aristotle, even though the actual contents differ.
Not only did Tocqueville discuss the democratic form of government, he also presented his views on how democracy affects art and literature. It is in these passages that we encounter something truly enlightening — the idea that a political system profoundly affects various facets of a society. The type of regime that exists in a country influences not only its citizens' thinking, but also the literature written and poetry composed in that region. As Drescher (1968) observed:
"Of all the projections of social development written at the juncture of the industrial and democratic revolutions in Western Europe, or at least at the moment of greatest psychological impact, Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis remains one of the most enduring and remarkable. It takes its place beside the optimistic vision of a scientific-industrial society forecast by the Saint-Simonians and Positivists, and the specter of total social crisis and transformation prophesied by Marx. All three portraits of the future were derived from an emphasis on a salient characteristic of the present, perceived as its principal tendency." (p. 1)
Tocqueville offered a clear and precise analysis of American democracy and felt that while the aim of democratic states is to look after the well-being of their people, the government should not shoulder the responsibility of thinking for its people. This is a highly perceptive observation, one that needs to be studied closely with reference to our current democratic structure and the way our government has behaved in recent years.
America is one of the most influential democracies in the world and also staunchly supports democratic rule around the globe. But what exactly is meant by democracy? What are the responsibilities of a democratic government, and how are people supposed to live under democratic rule? What are their rights, and how much freedom should they expect? These are important questions that must be answered carefully in order to judge how much real freedom citizens actually possess. Are we allowed to think for ourselves, or does the government control our thinking, our lives, our budgets, and our view of the world?
Consider the long-standing conflict between church and state, and whether we actually enjoy the freedom promised by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment explicitly states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
While the First Amendment clearly implies that religion will not be used as a basis for discrimination and that every citizen will be free to practice his or her religion, we must question the implementation of this law — especially in an era when religion has become a basis for discrimination and Muslims are routinely portrayed as terrorists. If a handful of followers of a certain religion resort to terrorism, does it mean that the religion itself is to blame? That is what the government and media have been teaching the public. The American public is repeatedly told that Islam and terrorism are synonymous, and media coverage shapes public opinion in this direction in order to gather support for military actions against Iraq and Afghanistan.
The government uses media to shape public opinion. As Susan Akram (2002) writes:
"Feeding already-existing stereotypes in American society about Arabs and Muslims, media and film have found a ready audience for dangerous and one-dimensional images. Jack Shaheen's meticulous work reviewing 900 Hollywood films over a period of four years is the most convincing evidence of deliberate vilifying of Arabs and Muslims by the movie industry... Moreover, the U.S. Department of Defense has cooperated with Hollywood in making over 14 films showing American soldiers killing Arabs or Muslims."
"Government use of media to control public perception of Muslims"
"Poll data and Bush's military campaign against Muslim states"
We can thus conclude that while the government may claim to be taking all these actions to protect its citizens, the fact remains that it is not allowing the public to decide how they want to be protected. The government does not include citizens in major decisions because it has assumed it can control public opinion through misleading media coverage. The question is not merely whether the government is doing the right thing, but whether it is permitting citizens to think for themselves.
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