Luke Choi 3/1/23 Michael Shenefelt Global Works and Society: Modernity Tocqueville’s Disturbing Prediction of the Current Society Alexis de Tocqueville, in his work, “Democracy in America,” analyzes the political system of the United States in the early 19th century and exposes a potential pitfall of democratic society, known as the tyranny of the majority. Tocqueville argues that in a democratic society, the majority has the power to impose its will on the minority and may lead the nation through a series of oppression and injustice. His work has unfortunately become a grim predictor of what today’s governmental system looks like, and Tocqueville believes that this trend towards the tyranny of the majority can lead to a loss of individual liberty and a threat to democracy itself. This theory has been proven true, especially in present times, and has been shown to be a threat to the fundamental systems of a democratic government. Tocqueville’s theory is an exploration of the democratic pillar of equality and its potential to foster a form of oppression where the majority of population’s will becomes the premier and unquestionable authority. Tocqueville’s apprehension, in contrast to general belief, did not actually lie within the foundations of the principles of democracy itself, but in the potentially unchecked majority rule that could limit and silence minority voices. His theory suggests that there is a delicate balance that must be obtained between liberty and equality. In modern democratic countries, Tocqueville’s prediction of the tyranny of the majority has shown tangible effects, as the rise of populist movements in the world can be seen as a literal manifestation of the majority rule that has the potential to endanger individual rights, and even societal diversity. In section 11, Tocqueville writes that the power of the majority in a democracy is “absolute and illimitable.” He notes that in a democratic society, the majority contains all the power to make and enforce laws, controlling the press, and regulating public opinion. The writer argues that this power can be extremely oppressive to the minority population, who have little recourse to protect their rights because of their lack of power and representativeness. He writes, “It is in vain to summon a people who have been rendered so dependent on the central power to choose from time to time the representatives of that power; this rare and brief exercise of their free choice, however important it may be, will not prevent them from gradually losing the faculties of thinking, feeling, and acting for themselves." Tocqueville further observes that the majority can utilize their one sided power to suppress dissenting opinions, leading to the limitations of individual freedom. He notes that that in the United States, when one party takes possession of all public power, other parties have to keep silence in order to not be targeted. Populist politicians will often leverage the sentiment of evoking the will of the power to gain power, because this allows them to implement policies favoring the majority while disregarding the interests and rights of the minority. In recent times in the United States, there is an upsetting trend of voter suppression, which is an example of the tyranny of the majority becoming apparent in modern civilization. Some US states have implement laws that make it more difficult for minority groups such as African Americans or Latinos to vote on legislation, potentially laws that might have devastating effects on their groups. These laws include strict voter ID requirements, destroying voter rolls, and enforcing limitations on early voting and absentee ballots. These laws show an extreme bias for suppressing the voting power of minority group voters who tend to vote for the Democratic Party. Social media in this digital era has also amped up these concerns, because social media apps such as Instagram or Twitter have the ability to literally shape the minds of the young and reinforce the opinions of the more aged population. Their vast influence can shape public opinion and almost create an echo chamber, allowing participants to encounter beliefs that amplify or reinforce their beliefs in whatever flawed system they choose to put their trust in. Apps such as TikTok or Facebook are particularly good at creating echo chambers, with participants being drawn to other like minded participants through their custom algorithms that push them content that they are most likely to interact with in a positive manner. This is especially pertinent when looking at cancel culture. People in modern society cannot express their divergent views without fear of being “cancelled” online. These individuals who may have different morals or different ideas on how society should function cannot say anything online or even in person, because the “majority” (online social media users in this case) would cancel them and inflict profound offline consequences, such as being fired from their job or facing sever social ostracization. This is just one of the thousands of digital representations of the tyranny of the majority and its potential to suppress minority opinions and views. Despite this grim prediction of the United States society, Tocqueville offers a solution in the form of a robust civil society, NGO’s, and unbiased media that can act as safeguards against the tyranny of the majority. These civil institutions can potentially provide a counterbalance to the power of the majority by being a voice to the minority and providing them with a safe space to voice their concerns and opinions without fear. In today’s society, social media, although as mentioned before, can act as a negative overpowered structure, can also be a sort of checks and balances with the government. Social media, through the form of apps and blogs, provide minorities with a voice that they wouldn’t have through the government, with the ability to showcase their concerns to millions of people utilizing viral marketing campaigns. Social media accounts also shed light on the thousands of issues that the United States government fails to address daily, and even though it is not a perfect system, the government is slowly realizing that social media is a power to be reckoned with, as seen in Montana’s recent legislation passed to ban TikTok. This is yet another fight that the younger generation must participate in in order to protect their own individual freedom in this new digital age where everyone and everything is always being monitored.
