"Democracy is not just about voting every four or five years, it is about all members of a society being an active, enfranchised part of the decision making process. By this measure, we live in an increasingly undemocratic society. How much democracy is there in our workplaces, schools, universities and communities? Almost none. We live most of our lives in undemocratic institutions where a small leadership dictate all policies, and our only real course of dissent is to leave – to another undemocratic institution. These young people are putting in the time and effort to engage with their institutions on democratic terms – they are saying ‘your decisions impact me, and I want to be a part of those decisions’. The response has been not only to suppress this activity, but to attempt to smash the democratic spirit out of the students who express it. If we want to live in a democracy, then we need to foster the democratic impulse in every generation. We need to stand for these young democrats when the authority figures in their lives attempt to silence them."
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 15:01:06 +0000
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