The paternalism of the First Paradigm of Democracy was a mix of independence and the monarchial cultural carryover from the British Crown, and from the monarchial cultures of immigrants from other countries. While the restraints of monarchial rule became egregious to these New Americans it had always provided a protective, paternal and maternal shield to its subjects that protected them from the realities of intra-national and inter-national social, political and economic/financial issues. That protective paternalism (“subordinates should be controlled in a fatherly way for their own good”) is a deeply embedded attitude in the culture of state and federal governments, and continues to be the attitude projected to citizens and the public in general.
The “father knows best” attitude of government generally sets citizens apart from the process of governance, even when citizens have become better educated and informed; and, electronically connected to public issues – but not to their elected and appointed public executives. Citizens are now far better prepared to take on the realities of greater responsibilities to participate in option-development, preference-sharing and choice-making of public social, political and economic/financial issues than at any time before. Public participation supports the premises of democracy – the opportunity for self-determination by individual citizens and the public collectively concerning the myriad public issues of local, state, regional and national governance.
When we examine and discern the intentions of the new democracy of 1776, we find that in the last 200 years those intentions have been fulfilled: a full set of political rights, the same as a monarch; freedom from political, social and economic oppression; liberty to chose how to live one’s life, to choose how to explore their potential as each person may determine for themselves, and to improve the quality of their life equally as anyone else. Those intentions for founding this democratic nation have been fulfilled –what will keep its citizens working for greater progress?
Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”** says much about “the Great American Experiment” of democracy. Today it is no longer an experiment. It has proven itself. It has fulfilled its ideals, though our ideals continue to evolve as they become fulfilled, just as our needs do. What then are our new intentions to keep citizens and democratic societies striving to achieve more improved quality of life, of growth and equally, too? What would The Second Paradigm of Democracy look like, at least for the United States? Just as de Tocqueville witnessed the flourishing of this nation, if he returned two centuries later, would we be as proud of his descriptions?
