Does democracy still work?

By Deauwand Myers

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors … The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men," said Plato.

You'd be forgiven if, while researching the famed Greek philosopher Plato and his views on democracy, you get confused. On the one hand, Plato admonished society to take an active part in the political affairs of the state.

Yet, he had deep misgivings of public interventions into the daily functions of government. After all, mob rule led to the brutal murder of his mentor, Socrates.

In one of the most damning quotes attributed to Plato, he denigrates democracy, writ large, as a de facto form of majoritarian chaos: "Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy. Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty. Democracy passes into despotism."

If recent geopolitical affairs are any proof, perhaps Plato was onto something.

Despite her clearly anti-democratic views and authoritarian pedigree, impeached former President Park Geun-hye was swept into office.

Through her machinations with the Korean intelligence community and various government agencies, Park suppressed free artistic/political thought by creating a blacklist of artists she considered politically adversarial, and denied these artists government grants to support their artistic endeavors.

Park actively sought to silence the media if and when they questioned her policies or actions, even going as far as asking American newspapers to retract mild criticism of her administration.

If it weren't for the carelessness of her pseudo-spiritual, cult-like adviser, Choi Soon-sil, (Choi left an unlocked tablet with incriminating evidence containing unfettered and illegal access to sensitive and/or secret government documents), Park would have continued these policies and have them codified into law.

The ensuing political uproar of Choi's influence over Park's affairs, and the uncovered graft thereof, led to Park's rapid downfall and eventual impeachment. (We are nearing the anniversary of her impeachment via the Korean National Assembly). The same mob that swept Park into office doomed her to political infamy.

Plato thought mob rule was synonymous with democracy, yet he also encouraged civic engagement with state affairs (democracy). He could be right on both accounts.

The daily and weekly scandals plaguing the Trump administration exemplify both of these principles in striking fashion: mob rule and political apathy working in toxic tandem.

Let's examine Plato's argument that "the price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." A little more than half of the voting population in America voted in the last election. Put another way, due to political apathy, over 100 million Americans didn't vote in the 2016 presidential election at all.

Further, because of the United States' arcane, racist Electoral College rule, 70,000 votes in a few key states led to the selection of President Trump, even though he lost the popular vote by over three million. Twice in my lifetime, the Republican Party has won the presidency while simultaneously having lost the popular vote (Bush II and Trump); disastrous results ensued.

This political apathy has generational implications: Bush II's foolish misadventure called the Iraq War cost America trillions of dollars and thousands of lives lost or maimed. Further, had the Democrats held the presidency in both instances of Bush II and Trump, the Supreme Court would be 7-2 liberal justices, instead of the 5-4 conservative make-up the court has now.

Especially because of the Electoral College, Democrats and like-minded folks need to vote in overwhelming numbers in key states to assure victory.

Moreover, state legislatures controlling important voting districting policies, voter ID legislation, and a host of other laws and regulations are at stake every two years. Yet, historically, people vote even less during "off year" elections (non-presidential-election years) than during the years we choose a president.

This political apathy isn't just a uniquely American phenomenon. Historically, Japan and Korea have very low voter turnout (30-40+ percent).

Young adults and the working people vote the least, as such, conservative administrations like that of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye in Korea, governments prone to private-sector deregulation, stifling of political dissent, and anti-woman, homophobic, xenophobic world views come into power and often stay there.

If not for her disastrous ending, Park would have surely ushered in another conservative government.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe's government (the LDP) espouse the aforementioned views, with high-ranking officials denying the atrocities of imperial Japan before and during WWII, questioning the humanity of sexual minorities, and interrogating the veracity of policies encouraging the equal treatment of women, particularly in the workplace.

It could be that the "mob," if properly informed, educated, and politically engaged, can deliver outcomes that are more favorable. Does democracy still work? Yes and no … but it's the only game in town.

Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul.