We are sending badly educated people to Washington DC to form the government that is supposed to represent us in the American experiment of democracy. That was not the case until around 1975, when the U.S. public school system abandoned the teaching of the very fundamentals of American democracy. How can we possibly expect responsible, knowledgeable, and ethical behavior in the U.S. Congress when we don’t teach those concepts in the Country’s schools. These are just some of the concerns of author and film star, Richard Dreyfuss.
I must admit I am probably the last person to put any credence in the words, or thoughts, of any Hollywood icon, but I was surprised by an interview I have now watched twice on Public Television in which Richard Dreyfuss expressed his views. I bought his book, One Thought Scares Me, as a result, and was pleasantly surprised by his bluntness, his simple analysis, and his obvious conclusions – I only include the word “obvious” here because his conclusions should have been obvious to all of us, but they needed his incisive analysis to wake us up or, at least, to wake me up.
The U.S. has not taught classes on the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, ethics, or the structure of American government since 1975. That, alone, may well be the downfall of the American experiment with democracy.
Dreyfuss suggests that we teach people to become doctors and lawyers, as well as every other profession, but we seem oblivious to the idea that government of the people, by the people, needs education as well. I hate to say it, people, but that concept of the people being able to govern themselves is so foreign to human history that it must be constantly reinforced to stand any chance of surviving. We’re not doing that, and haven’t done it, for over 50 years. I could add that it’s no wonder we have ended up with irresponsible, ignorant representatives like Marjorie Taylor Green and others of her ilk. Is it, perhaps, because an irresponsible, ignorant electorate sent them to Washington? If we, the electorate, don’t understand our system, how can we hold our representatives to it. I should add here that Richard Dreyfuss doesn’t mention Marjorie Taylor Green, but I feel compelled to do so.
Dreyfuss reflects on the fact that the American experiment with democracy was a deliberate departure from virtually, he says any, government system in history. The idea that people, the masses, could be educated to govern themselves – government of the people, by the people – would have been an anathema to almost any society of the past. He also reminds us that the people who came to the U.S., and still do, are the masses, not the rulers and the upper classes – he asks, why would they come, they were happy where they were.
He also maintains that American democracy is not, in any sense, a natural choice for a government. Rulers, class systems, dictators and autocrats are the natural choice…..choice being a debatable word. The masses that came to the U.S. had to be taught what this newfangled system was all about, and how it was essential that every one of them understand the basics and ….PARTICIPATE IN A RESPONSIBLE, INFORMED WAY. That stopped in 1975.
It certainly had not worked perfectly up until that point. It was a work in progress for two hundred years. However, it did work well enough that the country experienced phenomenal growth and progress AND it provided the glue that allowed a “National” feeling to grow out of a bewildering mixture of cultures, languages, morays, and origins. That glue disappeared with the abandonment of teaching civics, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the American government in the schools. Why should we be surprised that we are in a mess, with no prospect of a way out?
I still find it surprising that a Hollywood icon should be the source of a blunt, understandable, simple explanation of why the American experiment in democracy is in crisis. That’s probably down to my arrogance as an academic and the common image of most Hollywood icons as attention-seeking “airheads”. Hopefully, I have learned a lesson here.
Dreyfuss’ analysis not only rings completely true, but also give us a relatively easy path forward to correct the situation. Just start teaching the fundamentals of American democracy as a requirement in all schools. If we don’t, we can expect, indeed we are encouraging, the current rise of autocracy in all branches of government, aided and abetted by political and religious fanatics. The signs are obvious and, hopefully, we will wake up before the process towards autocracy, and away from democracy, becomes unstoppable. Thank you Richard.
