Democracy is defined as “the doctrine that the numerical majority of an organized group can make decisions binding on the whole group” by WordNet. Democracy is a double-edged sword and can create social stability when wielded correctly, yet create a totally different outcome when wielded wrongly.
One notable aspect of democracy is the freedom of speech. In a way, people feel good when they are not restricted in saying things. However, such freedom to express views lead to a number of problems. Various groups of people hold different values and beliefs, and there are bound to be conflicting interests or beliefs. When a person expresses his view freely which happens to conflict with the belief of another group of people, outrage and conflict is expected.
One such example would be the Wee Shu Min Elitism Scandal where she posted elitist comments on her blog. As her father had let her express her views freely, she decided to blog harsh remarks targeted at a blue-collar worker. As a result, there was uproar in the blogosphere. As such, democracy does not create social stability. When people are presented with the idea of democracy, freedom of speech and civil rights, they forget that others are entitled to their own views.
Another major problem of democracy is that rights of the minority are compromised. As democracy is built on the beliefs of liberalism and equality, there can never be true democracy since the minority that does not agree with the majority may not have their say in politics. Just because 99 percent of the population wants to cut down a tree due to convenience and 1 percent are environmentalists and want to save the tree, does that mean that the majority can have their way and the interests of the minority are ignored?
Then again, democracy can create stability. It evenly distributes power to the people, attempting to prevent a government with its own agenda. As such, it prevents an abuse of power through a series of checks and balances, such as a judiciary system independent of government and opposing political parties.
In our age of globalization and massive development, we need a system where people are entitled to their own rights and are allowed to do anything out of free will. Only such would a country be able to advance.
In conclusion, democracy is a double-edged sword which can help improve a society’s stability. Boundaries need to be set in place so as to ensure that nothing goes out of control. There is no easy or fast method of defining the boundaries, but rather is determined by the discretion of the people. People need to respect each other’s rights as well as opinions.
