Hi! For my assignment, I have to watch a documentary called “What is Democracy” and respond to 4 questions that are listed in the assignment.
The link to the documentary is:
https://www.nfb.ca/film/what-is-democracy-2018/
Each question response should be about 5-10 sentences long.
The assignment:
Concept #1: Tyranny of the majority At the 16:30–21:40 mark, Minister William Barber II speaks at a rally about how democracy has been curtailed through voter suppression in the US. This leads into the testimony of a young girl questioning how her struggle for rights differs from protestors in the earlier American civil rights movements. She discusses running from tear gas, being threatened with a gun and whether or not American democracy includes her. For this young woman, democracy is clearly more than a right to vote or a right to education without racial segregation.
Response #1: What other requirements are needed to truly engage all citizens in a democracy. In addition, at what point will democracy fail if minorities are not included?
Concept #2: Ancient and modern struggles for democracy The film begins with this quote from The Republic by Plato: “Nothing beautiful without struggle.” It is an apt motif throughout the film and a good avenue for History or Philosophy teachers to link current challenges with historical ideas. The film takes us back to the ancient Agora of Greece, for many the birthplace of modern democracy. An interesting clip to use here comes at 21:40–25:00, when a Greek academic explains how Cleisthenes broke up ancient Athenian society so that people would have to work with others beyond their immediate community.
Response #2: The ancient Greeks struggled with overcoming polarized groups and elite control. At the 1:22 mark, this critic explains how the ancient Greeks selected leaders by lot rather than by vote. Would it be more “democratic” to randomly select leaders rather than vote for them?
Concept #3: Whose Vote Counts? Throughout our history, the number of people with access to democratic voting rights has slowly expanded. However, what barriers remain to ensuring that the full “voice of the people” is heard? The interview from 1:10–1:16 addresses exactly this question. A former prisoner, now a hair stylist, eloquently discusses what democracy means to him. He questions why he is denied the right to vote when corporate crime seems to get swept under the metaphorical rug.
Response #3: What barriers have Canadians historically had to overcome in order to ensure full suffrage (property requirements, racial barriers, the challenges faced by Indigenous men and women)?
Concept #4 Democracy: A Continued Struggle: Throughout the film What Is Democracy?, the film offers many jumping points to help students question the failings of democracy while also helping them champion its potential
Response #4: Plato’s challenge, the claim that democracy will naturally lead to tyranny, remains relevant today. Do we give up on the democratic experiment or change it so that our governments truly do become “of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|
