Democracy Matters

This marks the first of, perhaps, several attempts at dialogue based on a prompt. For this installment, we'll be responding to a passage from Dr. Cornel West's book Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism from 2004. In this excerpt, Dr. West argues that "the saturation of market forces in American life generates a market morality that undermines a sense of meaning and larger purpose". We'll be posting responses this week, but feel free to comment on this post if you have something to say. -- Danny

"The dogma of free-market fundamentalism has run amok, and the pursuit of profits by any legal (or illegal) means -- with little or no public accountability -- guides the behavior of the most powerful and influential institutions in our lives: transnational corporations. And yet corporate elites are not fully in control of market forces even as they try to bend them to their own benefit. Their frantic race to the bottom line indeed lifts some boats yet it often pollutes the water and empties out the democratic energies necessary to guide the ship of state. In fact, it leaves the ship of state devoid of vital public trust and a common sense of destiny.

The perception of pervasive corruption at the top seems to many to justify the unprincipled quest to succeed at any cost in their own lives, and the widespread cheating in our culture reflects this sad truth. The oppressive effect of the prevailing market moralities leads to a form of sleepwalking from womb to tomb, with the majority of citizens content to focus on private careers and be distracted with stimulating amusements. They have given up any real hope of shaping the collective destiny of the nation. Sour cynicism, political apathy, and cultural escapism become the pervasive options.

The public has good cause for disillusionment with the American democratic system. The saturation of market forces and market moralities has indeed corrupted our system all the way up. Our leadership elite have themselves lost faith in the efficacy of adhering to democratic principles in the face of the overwhelming power of those market forces. They are caught up in the corrupting influences of market morality. Our politician have sacrificed their principles on the altar of special interests; our corporate leaders have sacrificed their integrity on the altar of profits; and our media watchdogs have sacrificed the voice of dissent on the altar of audience competition."

Finally a few definitions:

free-market fundamentalism -- Dr. West argues that this is the predominant culture in America: a belief that free-market capitalism gives us the most pure measure of value. Therefore, he uses the term to mean the free-market lens through which we judge anything and everything.

market moralities -- the set of moral principles that have arisen as a result of free-market fundamentalism.

democratic energies -- the strength of the People's interest, trust, and engagement in their democracy. A central aspect of Dr. West's theories is that our current free-market fundamentalism is partly responsible for the lack of democratic energies (e.g. voter apathy).