Pluralism in America

Democracy is a belief in political science that involves universal suffrage, political equality in votes, majority rule, and a constant response from the peoples government. There are different types of theories that go along with democracy. Some theories of power in a democracy include Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. In Marxism, the idea can be simplified to money equals power. If you have economic power, you are ultimately able to make the countries decisions. In elitism, the government and military is in power. In Bureaucratic Elitism, bureaucrats, which are government officials that are not elected, are in control. But the one that describes our country the most is Pluralism.

In Pluralism, groups must work together to make decisions and ideas to approach a compromise. Views in Pluralism are so scattered and different for every group, and the groups have the power to make the decisions, so everyone gets a chance to have a say. Monopolies are impossible, and there are no such thing as elites. Pluralism simply means political diversity.

A Black Lives Matter protest in Seattle

The reason the United States is best described as a pluralist country is because there are so many groups that have followers, and are represented in the government as well. One example of this is the LGBT group. In congress, the LGBT group is represented by six representatives and one senator. The LGBT group is a large group of people that are able to push rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people among the states. Another example of this is Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter is an activist group lead by African-Americans to point out and act against actions of racial inequality and police brutality. Black Lives Matter was able to develop so many followers and push rights and awareness for African-Americans.

A demographic of the religion of the United States (2007)

The religious diversity of the United States is also proof of Pluralism. America was built on the concept of freedom of religion. There are so many religious groups nowadays that have supporters that a one type of religion does not dominate the United States anymore. There are Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jewish, and the list can go on.

So what is the significance of all of these statistics and examples? Why does this show the United States is Pluralist? Pluralism is a diverse version of a democracy, no single group dominates the country and makes the decisions. All of the examples that are listed are instances of diversity, and acts of protest and representation.

Our Government Today: Pluralism

After being taught about different theories on democracies (Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism), I have come to the conclusion that our government is defined by Pluralism. In this type of democracy, many resources are given among our society and there is no monopoly because of it. No group has enough power to dominate another. Elites listen to what people have to say and those people are then given representation for their beliefs. Overall, this type of democracy gives us full access to free speech and opinions. This then leads to meetings and rallies to invoke change for our community.

We've seen many events and changes take place in our country which support this theory. Some being Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech in 1963, the Black Lives Matter movement, same-sex marriage getting legalized in all 50 states, and most recently, the removal of Confederate Statues in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Unfortunately, pluralism is not always positive, and that's why today, I will be discussing a dark side of pluralism. Specifically, I will be talking about anti-fascists, otherwise known as Antifa.

This video goes more into depth on Antifa and its actions.

Antifa is a group that is seen as more radical for its strong beliefs and is known for its harsh way of promoting them. During their protests, they dress in all black and damage property. This includes breaking windows, starting fires, and fighting with others who they see as racists or authorities. Most recently they have protested after Trump's inauguration in January and during/after the Charlottesville Rallies.

Despite how extreme their actions are, this is indeed an example of pluralism in the United States today. In order to bring attention to our current issues and wanting change from our elites, the Antifa is not afraid to show off their beliefs and interests. However, something like this can only take place in a democracy built off of pluralism. It is only in this type of government where people, like Antifa, have the chance to affect the decisions made by our officials.


This is an image of Antifa members during a rally.

Further Reading:
What is Antifa? -CNN
More Information on Antifa -CNN

Theories of Government

Pluralism is the government theory that best describes America because there are so many aspects in everything about us that no one person can control them all. We have so many media outlets, so many brands, and so many branches of power, and so many people who use them, that nobody will ever have complete control. An example of this is the checks and balances system in our government. to ensure that no part of government becomes too powerful. A good example of his idea in action is when Trump announced the Transgender Ban for the military. Even though Trump is the president, he was not able to make the ban, because almost nobody else wanted it. This shows how the main idea of pluralism is true in our society, that nobody is all powerful, it is the people who agree or disagree with them that have the true power. Another good example in our society is how there are many different religious groups. There are so many that while some may have more people, one does not overpower or control the other, which is how pluralism is run. On top of this, Democracy in theory is a pluralistic system, as the leaders of government only gain power because the masses support them.

Pluralism Relates to Democracy

Pluralism Relates to Democracy

Out of all the theories of power in a democracy pluralism best relates to the government the United States has today. Pluralism is power distributed equally throughout a country. For example that means everyone has power. Pluralism lets everyone in our country have a voice, just like a democracy.

For example in the United States we let all our citizens have a voice through our voting system. Our voting system lets everyone have an opinion with the election. We let everyone vote, and our electives get elected by majority rule. In the article, Wilson's Theories of Government, it says "...all decisions are made based on a majority basis." Just like a democracy, pluralism also has the idea of a majority vote. Another example is how diverse we are. America is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Our country lets everyone express who they are, and not get discriminated for being themselves. We express our diversity in many ways whether it's the different religious churches, or big places like China Town. We always learn to accept everyone for who they are. With our diversity we help make our decisions based on everyone's happiness and that's what makes our government relate to pluralism. A real world example is the debate on whether or not to take down the confederate statues. The decision of that is based on the majority vote. Since New Orleans is so diverse , the may has to take note of everyone's opinions and do what he thinks would make the most people happy just like he said in his speech. In conclusion our government relates to pluralism the most because it lets everyone have a voice and is so diverse.   

Link to speech:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=confederate+staues+lousiana+govenor+speech&&view=detail&mid=18B3456E572D691FDA6418B3456E572D691FDA64&FORM=VRDGAR

Pluralism Defines Our Democracy

Although many posts promote the concept of elitism, the theory of pluralism best describes American democracy because it includes every aspect of American society. Pluralism is the theory that political resources are so spread out in our society that no individual elite could have complete control over all of them. Since political resources; such as money, prestige, and position are this separated among different elites, all interests can affect the results of decisions.

Our democracy may seem controlled by the few, but political power is shared in a way that absolute authority over all, or even most assets is impossible. In order for a person or organization to dominate all other resources, the people of these resources must agree with that person or organization. Seeing that elites rely on the approval of their followers, "they are responsive to their followers' interests, and thus they provide representation to almost all citizens affected by a policy" (Wilson's Theories of Governance 39). Without the acceptance of the majority, an elite cannot advance any further and achieve political power. A great example of this is the Electoral College, which stresses the influence of votes on the election of a politician. This system decisively limits a candidate's chances of political power.

In addition, the United States includes a wide variety of people with different racial backgrounds and conflicting beliefs. The increase in different races during this decade and the increase of of the LGBT community also changed the makeup of the government and ultimately, its behavior. This makes it much harder for elites to control different resources because it is more difficult to satisfy the general public. Politicians have to work with the needs of different kinds of people, which gives power to the people. The events in Charlottesville particularly highlighted the theory of pluralism because it involved the clash of white supremacists and anti-racists. This event reinforces the concept that no single group can dominate the political process due to other opposing groups. The white supremacists cannot achieve the approval of American people because they are not accepted by other people.

As seen above, the African-American population has increased from 12% in 2010 to 25% in 2015 and the Hispanic population has also increased.The rapidly changing demography of our country is shaping a new identity of what American democracy represents. Along with other influences, these factors make the political resources of this country a more pluralistic democracy.
Further Sources:
thehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/08/remember-those-militias-at-the-charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally-heres-what-they-believe/?utm_term=.a381d0bdfb8a

Why Does Pluralism Best Describe Our Democracy?

Pluralism can be easily summed up as a certain power that has a policy and the followers that believe it. That definition does not necessarily apply to our government, but rather in simple scenarios of our daily lives. Whether it is from a small personal argument or a political debate, everyone has a voice in our society and the right to express their own opinions. In much more, rather complex words, Wilson's Theories of Governance states people "believe that political resources are sufficiently divided among such different kinds of elites that all, or almost all, relevant interests have a chance to affect the outcome of decisions... they are responsive to their followers' interests and thus they provide representation to almost all citizens affected by a policy"

What makes pluralism the theory that best represents our democracy is shown by the diversity of our country. Lately, protests and gatherings have been occurring due to the differences of ethnicities, races, practices of faith, etc. Although it is terrible to consider that there are fights happening, people are still voicing their thoughts and opinions. People also gather in groups to fight for the same ideas, which relates back to the pluralism theory that there are followers for a voice. 

Last month, a white nationalist rally happened in Charlottesville, VA. Hundreds of people were present for the event. However, there were also groups of people that apposed of the protest; a controversy broke out from there. It was a tragedy that everything went out of hand. People began yelling at each other and the event itself was violent and uncontrollable. (more information about this topic under 'sources')

Regardless, this event represents pluralism because it shows two different groups that are expressing their own opinions. In our country, protests are constantly occuring. Even if it is about the choices the government makes, or expressing your religion or ethnicity, people in America always gather to voice out their thoughts. My question to everyone is do you think our diversity brings out the best of us or the worst of us as a country?

Sources for more information:

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2017/aug/18/american-strength-lies-in-pluralism/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-nationalists-rally-charlottesville-live-updates/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/08/14/charlottesville-aftermath-protests-flare/567030001/

Pluralism Influence in America

I believe that pluralism is apart of the American culture. Pluralism is  displayed in our country in many ways. These include equality to all citizens regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and social status. Pluralism in America is certainly not perfect, but there are many groups that advocate and are working as a people to perfect these rights. Monopoly is a disastrous practice that allows wealth to stay within a certain group. This is stated in “Wilson’s Theories of Governance”, when mentioned that , “ Political  resources ,such as money, prestige,expertise, organizational position,and access to the media are still widely scattered in our society and in the hands of such a variety of persons that no single elite has anything like a monopoly on them.” In America wealth is accessible to the nation, it might not be easy but it is made available. An example of  breaking down the practice of monopoly is cellular phone service. Some companies are bigger than other but none the less many smaller companies are offering these services. These companies include but is not limited to AT&T, H20, T Mobile, Verizon, and Cricket.

Competitors of Cellular Service

Links to Other Sources of Further Explanation:

• https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/11/pluralism-and-democracy/306321/
• https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/05/economist-explains-17
• http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-pluralism.html