Is representative democracy just a sign of laziness?
There is wisdom in the crowd
It has been proven that a dedicated crowd can make better decisions than individuals. It’s called “the wisdom of the crowd.” Sure, a random crowd (a Trump rally) can make horrible decisions, too. But a crowd studying a topic and applying a host of different perspectives can make excellent decisions reliably.
We have a little of this in government, but the dynamics of personalities and power plays (including conflicts of interest) often interferes with it, so bureaucracies often fail.
Yet US representatives are out of touch
Currently, the US representative democracy is failing because it’s not representative. It doesn’t actually work to elect representatives with opinions and positions. Perhaps shortly after an election, an elected representative knows what her voters prefer on a few issues. But on most issues she doesn’t. And on most other issues she’s out of touch if the base changes its views. The representative, busy fighting for a position, is out of touch with many of the voters who are constantly gaining new knowledge and reinterpreting what’s best.
This can be evidenced with the current battle over gun control. According to a June 20 CNN/ORC poll, 90% of Americans support background checks. However, this measure, along with other gun law propositions, continues to fail. In the wake of the Orlando shooting tragedy, the public is highly in favor of some kind of resolution. Our representatives, however, are too entangled in politics. Each party refuses to budge on even the slightest adjustments to their propositions. Compromise has been near impossible. And when you factor in the influence of gun lobbyists like the NRA, it seems the general public’s opinion holds no weight.
Making one’s voice heard vs Making a decision
What’s needed is a way for the general public to participate in government to make their voice heard. The American people need a way to share their concerns directly with politicians. But they still need guardrails when it comes to making official decisions. As we’ve seen with Brexit, and now Regrexit, many voters make decisions based on emotions or campaign messages without much research. There are many Leave voters who now regret their decision after taking the time to understand the implications of what they’ve chosen. Referendums may be an opportunity for Americans to take an active role in shaping policy. However, we still need our representative democracy.
The US is currently in the midst of a passionate election year in which many voters are basing their votes on rhetoric and speeches. It’s not commonplace for the average American voter to research policies, candidate voting records, and campaign financing. All of this information is available. It’s just that most of us are too busy to read it, or we’re just plain uninterested.
Because we’re unwilling to dedicate the necessary amount of research to making informed decisions, we still need other people to do the heavy lifting for us. The 2016 election season’s record voter turnout has shown that Americans are more passionate now than ever about making our voices heard. But the quality of our decision making is worrisome. We aren’t taking the time to educate themselves.
To answer the original question: Sometimes we’re lazy. Other times we’re busy. Yes we absolutely need representative democracy.