Reflexión Numero Cuatro

Looking back at our last discussion this week, I was really surprised when Professor Jackson had asked us who wrote their blogs on a pro-election society and who, if any, wrote a blog that did not favor a society in which politics is handled with elections. When the latter was asked, nobody raised their hands. I remember someone mentioned that in a country where democracy is instilled, it becomes normal and sort of conscious that democracy is the “right government”. Since we grew up with this influence, we are used to a government that is “represented by the people, for the people.” That said, elections becomes a crucial factor when it comes to politics in a democratic country. But is it really the right government for every country? In my opinion, I believe that it is right if every country has some type of election and representation to allow their citizens to express their opinion and have a “say” in how they should be governed. However, I think that it is not the best type of government for every country. Every country is different and not all of them have the same economic status, military power, and cultural background.

When going through the pro and anti arguments between countries with elections, Chul Hun brought up the point about China being one of the countries that runs completely well without having elections like the United States. By incorporating economics into politics, China is able to maintain stability in which its citizens accept the type of government they are being governed by. Although I agree with Chul Hun’s argument, I wanted to add in that for thousands of years, China has transitioned between dozens of dynasties with different emperors all of the time, so the people have grown with a historical culture of being governed by one ruler.

As someone who enjoys learning about different cultures and traditions, I believe that culture is a major factor in making a country unique. When asked if the United States should force its democratic influence to other countries, I believe that the US should definitely not. As I have mentioned before, other countries have different cultural backgrounds. Just because it works in one country, does not mean that it will work in another country. I feel that it is even a bit hypocritical if democracy is forced into a country rather than having it developed. Democracy is about allowing its citizens to choose what they prefer rather than having the government forced into a change.