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"Restoration of American Democracy?"
By Mark Bowen
With all that is going in this country concerning the violations and abuses of our constitutional and human rights, I ask myself the question, "When did we ever have constitutional rights?" I've witnessed many on the left, and right, but focusing on the left, say, "Our democracy is being destroyed!" What democracy? Democracy never existed at any time in this country, it was always just an idea. Can anyone truly say that this country ever earned the statuses democratic, equal, free, or any other term that supposedly defines this country, at any time within the history of this country? Yes, we do live in a freer country than most other countries. But it must be understood that this "freedom" is at the expense of another country's oppression; and considering the fact we live in a generally valueless and immoral society. It seems more like this country is straying farther away from an overdue goal.
It really bothers me to see progressives say things like, "We are losing our democracy", or "The great laws this country was founded on are being violated," or something of the such. When we in the progressive world say such things, what are we aligning ourselves with? It must be understood that whenever the word America is used, an ideology is being represented. The ideology that American politics expresses, and has since its birth, is social, economic, spiritual, and political oppression, and among other things, but these are some of the cardinal ones that have been consistent and overriding throughout US history. It can easily be said by any US citizen that the country for them represents freedom, justice, equality, etc., and not the negative aspects of the US. But how can good be represented in the name of oppression? It should also be understood that though it might seem that I am referring to the USA, I am also referring, in part, to South and Central America as well whenever I use the term America. For the same ideology has been spread to oppress those south of this country as well, as well as everywhere else around the world. As Che asserted, US citizens need to stop using the word 'America' when they are referring to the United States, they too are Americans.
There is a lot of pride for this country. Whether one agrees or disagrees with America's doings, the act of calling yourself an 'American' aligns you with that ideology. Africans in the US and Europeans in the US, formally known as African-Americans and Whites, have established strong cultural ties within these borders throughout history that distinguishes us from many nations, giving us a sense of belonging and pride for this nation. So the usual case for people who call themselves 'Americans', is that their history starts in the 15th-16th century, and anything before is generally unlearned and irrelevant. Out of this perception, we have developed a culture that is very unique from the majority of the world's nations, of course also due to this country's unique history. I think US subculture (the cultural and racial minorities of the US) has spawned some very unparalleled characteristics, like in music for example. This country has pretty much set the global tone for music. But it must not be forgotten that all of this, looking at it from a macro perspective, is a product of imperialism. I'm not trying to diminish our history (if I had the power to take it all back though I would), I'm attempting to put it in its proper context. History is always valuable. Nor am I implying in this article that democracy is a bad system, US democracy is a distorted version of true democracy. But most seek to find the purity in the impure, not like seeking purity in a troubled individual, but rather like settling with the lighter qualities of evil. I'm not saying that enjoying American music is settling with the lighter qualities of evil, in this case, I'm referring to this country overall. What do indigenous people have to say about American democracy and the US Constitution? The indigenous people of this land must automatically be included in this subject, for they are the ones that have suffered the most on these lands at the hands of US democracy. What would you say if someone called themselves something with such pride that denotes oppression to you?
When the founding fathers of this country are recognized with such admiration, it must be reminded to all that they were all male chauvinist, slave owning, white conservatives, much like today, except there has been modifications to elude the public. George Washington was still selling slaves to Barbados for molasses when chattel slavery was abolished. I say this to try and put in some perspective to make one understand in what context the constitution was written. Like when the constitution states things like "We the People of the United States," sentences like this must be put into the correct context in which it was written. And "We the People of the United States," exclusively consisted of wealthy white males. But the constitution is still regarded as a great document regardless of the kind of people the founding fathers were. But let's ask ourselves, can such an ideological mode of thinking really create a just document? Israel wouldn't have accepted a constitution from Nazi Germany no matter how just it seemed. And I don't think this is an over exaggeration because to the Natives of this land and to the Africans during that time period, that is what the US was to them. And to the millions around the world today and throughout history, that is what the US resembles to them.
Even when we examine the constitution itself, it becomes clear that preserving power within the hands of the elite was the intent. Illustrated throughout the constitution there are "except" factors. One example is the 13th amendment, which leads us to believe that slavery was abolished. But the constitution explicitly states, "except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted…" Free labor was the idea then, and free labor is the idea now. Corporations exploit the people in the prison system by having them work for little to nothing. Make-up, clothing, and many other domestic products and customer services are manufactured and maintained inside prisons because the corporations (e.g. Revlon, Victoria's Secret and among many others) can legally, through the 13th amendment, pay those people a dollar-an-hour, or less; causing unemployment rates to rise and the corporate executives to become wealthier. Taking a closer look, this modern form of slavery is parallel to the system of slavery in the past: people are sent to work on a plantation (prison), they work for nothing to fatten the pockets of wealthy white men (no difference), and the indentured servants (us outside the prison walls) find ourselves with no work. Also considering the fact that Black people are the majority of the US prison population . The ideologies of the past are living in abundance, they have only been modified to enhance the US's means of social control, production, and economy.
Whenever all is said and done and this system falls, restoration of American democracy is something that should not be considered. The Constitution, laws (state and national), the Declaration of Independence, even the names of the states, everything of the such that relates to American ideology, must be rid of these lands and the people. Actually, now is the time to stop these claims of restoration. We do not necessarily need to define a system that is suitable for our needs right away. We should focus on doing what we (progressives) have always have been doing: fighting for human rights. It has to be a new beginning; otherwise, we could find ourselves back in the same situation because we kept the same documents that are subject to all types of facets of interpretation. This article is particularly pointed at those who call themselves progressives, what is it that you are trying to restore? This article only encompasses a portion of the hypocrisy which many intend to preserve. If we are looking for a brighter future, it should be just that, a brighter future, and we should leave the darkness of the past behind, but neither shall we forget.