The Assault on Reason by Al Gore

The article “The Assault on Reason’, Introduction was written by Al Gore in the year 2007. The article shows the various stages that the American democracy has passed through the years and the danger it is involved with because of corruption from i8nfluential blocks. Gore argues that the members of the American sphere are dependent on falsehood as the backbone of policy making (Gore, 1). He also depicts that different essential composition of the American nation from the media, congress and the independent judiciary which are supposed to propel the country into greater heights of democracy have failed the country (Gore, 2). He shows that the democracy level of the country has been failed not only by the policies of President Bush at the time but by the people in general. There is need people to utilize the free speech and the judiciary to make sure that they check and balance the decision and policies that are made in the political field rather than sleeping on their rights (Massaro, 12). Gore shows that the democracy of the nation is in danger form the changes in political and all spheres of the American environment. Gore shows that public discourse is one of the tools that have lost its path in demonstration of the democracy (Gore, 6). He argues that the 2001 polls depicted that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attack but in 2007 still half of the American people believe that he is connected to the attack (Gore, 3). He also suggests that the American airwaves have been corrupted in such a way that the case of the O.J Simpson trial was a mere serial obsession of the media power houses rather than promoting good sense (Gore, 3). The media has been in high obsession of many things such as the bizarre death of six year old Jon-Benet Ramsey. The high coverage hours of the cases which was still even in documentation of the articles suggests that the media has been blinded. The American watchers were tied to watching a series of events from trials, and other media stuffs that are of lesser relevance in building the nation (Gore, 5). The media focuses too much on petty things in the society today rather than majoring in things that affect the democracy and building of the nation. This poses as a threat to the nation. There is lack of reason by many blocks especially the media in driving democracy to people doors (Kellner, 25). Gore also argues that there is ignorance in terms of making decisions that involve going to war or seek peace (Gore, 5). He demonstrates that there is lack of debates so as to project the consequences of the decision that people make either in the judiciary or bin the congress. Decisions that involve invading a country a crucial and thus there is need to make a lot of consultations and deliberations before executing the idea. Gore suggests that the senate has been one of the tools that have led to the fall of the nation’s democracy (Gore, 5). The senators are involved in many fundraising projects rather than being in their stipulated place where they can debate the essential things of the nation. He depicts that the time that Senator Byrd description of the senate on crucial matter of the war was met in abnormal state since most of the members were indulging themselves in projects that will lead to their reelection (Gore, 4). In the eve of war there was lack of better indulges of all of members in making the decision. This demonstrates how they have fallen behind in making decisions that will drive the country into a more democratic zone (Gans, 11). America was built from diverse cultures thus there is need to involve the various people and many sections of the institution of government sphere should be involved in the execution of democracy in the nation (Gans, 4). The media especially the television has fallen to impact the people but rather has focused on seeking attention. The television was supposed to overtake the printing media and therefore its greater influence was supposed to increase the value of democracy (Kellner, 21). Gore suggests that the concept of governance can be bought by many people vying for the seats in the governance (Gore, 10). He shows that the various ads and the opinion polls have shifted the democracy of the country through promotion of wealthy members of community rather than visionary ones (Gore, 12). The television has been very influential in dividing many people through the publicizing the public opinions sampling which has been based on propagandas. The public forum has decayed so much that the manufacture of consent has emerged in the American sphere where it was expected to have died from the past prediction (Gore, 14). There is need for the public forum to establish accountability of the government to the people (Gore, 10). The market place of the ideas is characterized by the market place being open to ideas from everyone, dependency on meritocracy and the fact that the participants’ unspoken duty was enriched for agreement (Parks et al, 2015). In conclusion, various medium of spreading information have existed in the American world. The printing press was the most common form of media in the American world but the television has overtaken it. These medium is essential in the promotion of democracy but there is falsehood in most public forums where the element of propaganda in public opinions has stretched the democracy of the country to its bottom. The people of America have failed the country from the ruling class, the judiciary, common public and media. There is need to put focus on things that will enable the development of the democracy of the nation rather than things that seek the attention or promoting re-election in member of states. People should not allow fear to overcome reason in the exercise of democracy.

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