13. Choice is at the core of democracy; the absence of choice means that democracy is lessened to one degree or another, depending on the nature of the lost choice.
-Dean Alger, The Media and Politics, 1989.
As I read this quote, I couldn't help but think back to slavery and before women's rights. The state in which we lived in surely could not have been recognized as a democracy. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of democracy is: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. This certainly includes equality of all people. Before slavery was ended and women's rights were approved, I don't think we lived in a true democracy. However, propaganda and persuasion were used to get the majority of the people to believe in, per say, slavery. Slaves would do work, you could by them to be your very own, you had everything you needed right at the tip of your fingers without any work. Who wouldn't want a life like this? Persuasion was used to get people to follow in these footsteps. However,democracy includes the equality of all people and the freedom of choice. Now today, all people have choices.
This quote addresses the issue of choice in democracy. With more choices and freedoms, the idea of democracy is able to hold its true meaning. However, as these choices decrease, democracy is "lessened to one degree or another." We must hold true in our hearts the meaning of democracy to ensure that we do have the right to choices and opportunities within this society. If we were to go back to a system of something like slavery, the democracy would be decreased, due to the lack of choice the "slaves" would have. This quote merely addresses that with decrease in choices, democracy is diminished.
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