Democracy is supposed to be maintained by citizens who communicate with their government to make society better. Judging by the political engagement and political knowledge of the American people, they seem to be democratically active and healthy. Every day I can see ideas people spread through social media, mostly Instagram today, encouraging to change their country for the better and fighting any case of rights violation.
Democracy is still not perfect, as we always have pointed to improve. Voting is one of the ways to demonstrate political engagement. It appears that only circa 50% of US citizens voted during the last election. This is evidence that most Americans do not realize the importance of participation in political events. The main factor here is that active political life does not benefit personal well-being (Woodford et al.). The consciousness of decisions forms the next level of civic engagement. The majority of Americans vote a certain way or act in a specific manner because they were told to, and they do it without profound reflection.
The lack of information becomes one more factor in uncritical decision-making. Politics is sophisticated, and people need law clarification services; therefore, only the minority is aware of how politics works. Political knowledge also includes familiarity with fundamental rights, liberties, and laws, and the current generation demonstrates adequate awareness in this respect. Thus, Americans are democratically competent but lack a certain level of engagement in voting, discussions, and other forms of public affairs. The recent events, nonetheless, showed that Americans could protest even at difficult times and express opinions to protect fellow citizens.
Hopefully, this summer’s positive experience will encourage people to participate more. Political engagement, thus, is on an appropriate level today but has a space to develop. Even though the United States is the stronghold of democracy, the American nation has much to learn and do to increase awareness to avoid losing democracy. People dissatisfied with democracy should never forget that Americans themselves are a democracy, and they can improve it if they care to start acting.
Work Cited
Woodford, Clare, et al. “Is Democracy Dead or Alive? What Democracy Exactly Are We Supposed to Nurture?” The Conversation. 2018. Web.