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Editor's Note: This is the first of an eight-part series on American Democracy written by Dr. Glen Browder in conjunction with his public lecture series. Today's article is drawn from the first lecture, which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8 on the 11th Floor of Houston Cole Library: "The Contemporary Disarray of American Democracy -- A rhetorical inquiry."By Dr. Glen Browder Jacksonville State University JACKSONVILLE, AL -- August 27, 1999 -- America is very sick as we face the New Millennium. Despite obvious prosperity, there are troubling signs of democratic ill health. The national environment of American democracy is in serious decline. The American people are losing their civic spirit. The political organs of American democracy are malfunctioning. American government is headed toward stroke, paralysis, or something worse. And we seem to be tiring of our national democratic experiment. The possible demise of America is an unpleasant thought; but that is my rhetorical concern after three decades in public life -- as a political scientist and public official including most of the past decade as a member of the United States Congress. I have come to the disturbing suspicion that, as we enter the 21st century, we are drifting perilously away from the "Great Experiment" of American history. American democracy no longer works the way that it is supposed to work; and our grand and glorious America seems to be disintegrating, grinding to a halt -- sometimes noisily, sometimes unconsciously, and often by popular decree. Therefore, it is worthwhile to ask some serious questions, despite the pain of their articulation, about the civic health of the American system. In these lectures, I am posing the issue as a blunt question -- "Is America Dying?" -- to help encourage a national dialogue about the civic health of America. Without a serious national discussion now, the dysfunctions of American democracy will only worsen; perhaps stating our condition as a terminal affliction will enhance our willingness and ability to engage in this dialogue. I want to state, emphatically, that I do not really believe that America is going to die. Let me repeat that statement -- I do not really believe that America is going to die. My proposition is rhetorical. There is no serious question about the survival of America -- the real mystery is "What kind of America will survive?" My challenge is for us to think seriously and critically about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. My dying analogy in actuality is an attempt to strengthen America's Great Experiment in democratic ideals; and I hope that the reader leaves this discussion with a healthier appreciation for America and American democracy. However, we clearly are undergoing a metamorphosis that, for better or worse, is reshaping our nation and world history. It is time to address the future of America. Dr. Glen Browder is Professor and Eminent Scholar in American Democracy at Jacksonville State University. For more information about his free public lectures, call 256-782-5828. |
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