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Making Our World a More Understandable Place

Making Our World a More Understandable Place. ► Political Language and Those Who Use It ► “Democracy” and Its Many Meanings ► Challenges to American Objectives: Grandma’s Recipe for Success ► New & Old Visions of Politics: EU & Nationalism

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Making Our World a More Understandable Place

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  1. Making Our World a More Understandable Place ► Political Language and Those Who Use It ► “Democracy” and Its Many Meanings ► Challenges to American Objectives: Grandma’s Recipe for Success ► New & Old Visions of Politics: EU & Nationalism ► Big Countries/Small Countries: Does Size Matter? ► Globalization: Positive & Negative Visions ► Who’s Your Cousin?: Insights from Science & Genetics

  2. Making Our World a More Understandable Place Propose to take you on a thoughtful political adventure where we encounter new visions and contemplate new ideas

  3. Making Our World a More Understandable Place Political Language and Those Who Use It

  4. How open are YOU to … ►recognizing purposeful ambiguity ►acknowledging political manipulation ►differentiating theory from practice ►resisting defensive posturing ►abandoning assumptions of superiority ►rethinking the utility and precision of the words we use

  5. Intellectual Sedatives Better labeled:POLITICAL SEDATIVES Basic notion:It is in the interest of segments of our system to get a thought-less response to an appeal! The reason this works is the presumption that “we all know” what a particular term means. Therefore, it requires absolutely no investment of our time or effort to think about what it means. Quite naturally, those directing our behaviors (responses) are advantaged if we neglect to challenge them or the premises they offer us. +

  6. Intellectual Sedatives … ►Words or phrases that invite us NOT to think about what they mean ! ►These fit our lifestyle because we have no time to put them under the microscope ►Comfortable because “everyone” knows that there is a division of labor; some things need to be left to our political managers ►We know they are guided by the highest motives !

  7. WHO? Politicians Media Experts Opinion-shapers Political Evangelists Teachers How guilty are we / you?

  8. Why might we be a part of the problem? Choose to communicate in terms that are understood Not enough time to reconstruct our political language Apprehension about seeming “un-American” Misuse has a very long history … we may be unsure of where more carefully defining terms could lead us We may not have given thought to the nature of the terms … simply accepted the norms

  9. Symbolism or Reality? Consider how frequently we USE the following terms and how infrequently we think about what EXACTLY we mean …

  10. Freedom Unrestrained; oxymoron: partial freedomPolitics: Social process involving rivalry and cooperation in the making of a decision binding on a group Most “freedom” = least government? Most democracy = least government? Source of rules & constraints? +

  11. What political structures create freedom? Rules, laws, policies … defines ►Alternative idea = choice Priority? -- political choice vs. economic choice Empowering? – political choice vs. economic choice

  12. Equality and Fairness Ultimate fairness = treating everyone the same? Where and when do we do this? Treating people unequally … according to special needs, talents, abilities +

  13. Equality … Un-American! Recognition of differences Anti-capitalist; anti-politics “equal opportunity” misnomer what is that really? Example: inheritance …

  14. Persistently MISUSED! Very tough choices for us … what to do Conform or invest in the effort to renovate use of the terms?

  15. RIGHT & LEFTConservative & Liberal Most delicate of all … American confusion! CLASSICideological continuum ►Key: Locus of Power in the larger system individual state → …………………………………………. ← Left Right liberal conservative choice power

  16. Crisis Requiring immediate, dramatic response to avoid massive damage Proliferation of the term negates its meaning NOT simply a problem

  17. Discrimination Differentiating, sorting, evaluating Constant! … not negative phenomenon Adjective … is politically critical The world is dependent on discrimination!

  18. Rights Guarantee! Source? The sovereign state / governing authority Abridged? Can you think of a right that has not been ? No “UNIVERSAL” rights No “INALIENABLE” rights

  19. Justice guilty punished; innocent not punished ►Procedural vs. substantive justice Due process Faith in jury system ►Epidemic litigation environment +

  20. Rule of LawIs any political system without law? ►Magic = removing arbitrary decisions ►Predictability is the objective: process or outcome? Procedural vs. substantive justice ►Guilty punished; innocent not ►Masses approve new rules?

  21. Nation Most prolifically misused ! Mistakenly used in place of “STATE” Most often properly used in academic and particularly in comparative studies, STATE is a political entity defined by boundaries and sovereignty (“country”) NATION is an ethno-cultural identity – a “people” with claimed elaborate common characteristics

  22. Terms that have too many meanings … to be useful Extreme caution is warranted that what we mean is what is being understood! representation, war, development, leadership, participation

  23. Representation Transmission of interests; responsive to inputs? Delegate vs. trustee “Obligation”

  24. War Conflict of the sort or condition that changes all rules or negates all rules Explicitly … everyone is threatened by a well defined enemy and any recourse is thus justified Removes limits on policy-makers

  25. Development Overwhelming lack of clarity … only thing in common is “process” industrialization urbanization globalization complexity increased government services rising income levels mimicking the US economic model

  26. Leadership Creating consensus of values Effectively guiding society Setting the pace, fine-tuning the society’s direction All or any = cop out …

  27. Participation Accessing or influencing the authorities Actual or possible? Input or output side? More participation … better? … more democratic? System overload / capacity

  28. Should we stop using these terms? Perhaps! In some cases, YES! freedom, equality, fairness, justice, social justice In other cases, NO! but carefully and patiently put them under the microscope. Challenge yourself to examine and articulate what you mean.

  29. What is to be done? Be sure the terms / concepts are clear to you! Use the most appropriate term with the most precise meaning Remind yourself that no system is perfect & that there are always characters who will try to encourage you to THINK lessabout complex things

  30. Perhaps you noticed the omission of “democracy” in these reflections on meaning and usage – The subject for our next session.

  31. Making Our World a More Understandable Place ► “Democracy” and Its Many Meanings ► Challenges to American Objectives: Grandma’s Recipe for Success ► New & Old Visions of Politics: EU & Nationalism ► Big Countries/Small Countries: Does Size Matter? ► Globalization: Positive & Negative Visions ► Who’s Your Cousin?: Insights from Science & Genetics

  32. Gorbachev on Two Hooligans…

  33. Making Our World a More Understandable Place ► “Democracy” and Its Many Meanings ► Challenges to American Objectives: Grandma’s Recipe for Success ► New & Old Visions of Politics: EU & Nationalism ► Big Countries/Small Countries: Does Size Matter? ► Globalization: Positive & Negative Visions ► Who’s Your Cousin?: Insights from Science & Genetics

  34. Questions for next time … What product represents the greatest VOLUME of US exports? What percentage of the world’s languages are at risk of becoming extinct?

  35. Dick Farkas Professor, Political Science, DePaul University, Chicago Student of Comparative Politics & International Relations 40 years of University teaching / 37 at DePaul Most recent book: DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE BALKANS Current research: Corporate Democracy, Bosnian Constitutional Design, Political/Historical Novel about American colonial life (“GYRE”) Recreational Sailor, zealous traveler (3 circumnavigations)

  36. Making Our World a More Understandable Place “Democracy” and Its Many Meanings

  37. We believe DEMOCRACY is Does it make a difference if we are talking about what it is or what it ought to be?

  38. Democracy & Sloganeering Thinking … Really THINKING about Democracy … Typical “answers”

  39. Government of the People, by the People and for the People Notions of commonness, engagement, service Suggests an intimacy between people & gov Wisdom reside in the majority? If people don’t engage? How much service to the public? All the public?

  40. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness Non-violent; non-coercive Unlimiting … Locus of power with individual Normative …

  41. People choosing theirleaders … Opportunity or actual? Choices: control of choices? How managed are elections? Who manages elections? Who actually chooses?

  42. The trouble with elections …conditions that discount public input ●Designation of constituencies ●Who is enfranchised ●Who is left “voiceless” SMDP vs. PR ●Structuring choices/range, representativeness ●Absence of pluralism/platforms ●Voter turnout ? between elections/elections rationalize neglect

  43. “The people who vote decide nothing; the people who count the vote decide everything.”

  44. Intellectual sedatives … Words or phrases that invite us NOT to think about what they mean ! These fit our lifestyle and pressures because we have no time to put all ideas under the microscope. These are comfortable because “everyone” knows that there is a division of labor; some things need to be left to our political managers. We know they are guided by the highest motives !

  45. “Freedom” Most democracy; least government Gov is the source of rules & constraint What political structures create? create, abridge, deny ?

  46. International Centre for Prison Studies USA locks up more citizens than any other country in the world USA 737 prisoners per 100,000 pop. 2 of every 10 prisoners are “awaiting trial” 1 in every 32 adults is currently in jail, on probation or on parole

  47. Interpretation? ? More LAW ? More ORDER ? More criminals ? More opportunity ? More motivation: measure man by money ? Fewer personal values, morals Is there something about democracy that makes this happen?

  48. If DEMOCRAY is to be shared ►Need a clear, workable, adaptable sense of what it is … ►Recipient leaders will find themselves in tough situations which juxtapose many societies’ objectives ►When there is no singularly clear, correct decision, what can guide policy-making to insure long-term “democratic” direction?

  49. Example of the strain … Norway: decide to subsidize publishers who publish Norwegian language materials ►Market too small for profit ►Overwhelming majority say culture will be lost ►Publishers want subsidy for all languages ►Majority are against perpetual gov subsidies ►Gov considering veiling policy via tax breaks ►Indigenous languages want same treatment ►Considering assigning decision to indep. commission

  50. The following are the common premisesupon which the leadership of any system can hold a steady course toward democracy Where do these ideas come from?

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